For a band who have been around since 1994 Solsitice have a depressingly small catalogue, with only two studio albums to their name. Why? I don't know, but it seems (according to the rather small entry on Wiki) that they suspended operations in 2002, although it's not said to be an actual breakup. They plan to head back into the studio this year, but you would have to wonder if their fans are still going to be interested, given that their last album was in 1998? However metal fans are notoriously loyal to the point almost of stupidity, so perhaps their fanbase is intact.
As there are only two albums to choose from, we may as well go with their debut.
Lamentations --- Solstice --- 1994 (Candlelight)
There's an interestingly gothic opening not-quite-instrumental, with choral vocals almost reminiscent of the sort of thing you hear at those classical masses, then we head into the first real track, "Neither time nor tide", and it's as slow and crunchy as you would expect, with the vocals clear but almost mournful as Simon Matravers sings, his voice nowhere near as powerful as Candlemass's Messiah Marconius, but well able to handle the registers. Some good rocking-out guitar from Rich Walker and Gian Piras, and there's a something of an Iron Maiden feel to "Only the strong", though it's still slow and grindy.
Nice bassy opening to "Absolution extreme", with soft percussion and much less snarling guitar. I'm already liking Solstice better than Candlemass: even the last song, which ran for eight minutes, didn't bore me in a way shorter ones from the Swedes did. I can see how it was said about these guys that they could cross over through the metal sub-genres, as they're not what I'd consider --- with my admittedly limited knowledge of the genre --- typical doom metal. They seem to have a lot more tricks up their sleeves, and it's a pity they didn't get the chance to release more albums than they have. Great solo in this from Walker, but despite another one in "These forever bleak paths", the song doesn't really move me in the way the others have.
I do however like the strummed intro to "Empty lies the oaken throne", very Dio-esque, very middle ages. And now I realise there's a good chance this is an instrumental, as we're halfway through its four-minute length and there have been no vocals. And as it continues on I become convinced that it is instrumental, and so it proves, a nice laidback break from all the doom metal, and rather unexpected. Quite introspective, almost pastoral. Very nice. Then we're back to business with big heavy churning guitar and plodding, pounding drums for "Last wish", the vocal strangely buried in the mix this time, little hard to hear or at least make out. It gets a little better as the song goes on, Simon Matravers a bit easier to hear, but whether it's a problem of production or he just isn't singing as powerfully as up to now I don't know.
The volume of everything seems to go down then as "Wintermoon rapture" begins, so I think I'll have to conclude that this is a production thing. A good hard song though with a somehow soft vocal and some really smooth guitar work which again shows how Solstice could easily cross from doom metal to prog metal or maybe even just standard metal with ease. Very versatile indeed. Great guitar ending to the song, and on into the longest track on the album. At just over nine minutes, "The man who lost the sun" again starts off on lonely bass joined by very slow, almost ponderous but deliberate percussion, and a dark "evil" voice narrates the first few lines before growling as if in agony or rage, then the proper vocal from Matravers comes in and it seems the production problems that possibly plagued the last two tracks are thankfully absent here, as everyone is clearly audible and can be understood.
It's great how Matravers's voice complements the music the band play: it never seems at odds with it, struggling against it or overpowering it as happens in some metal. Solstice seem to be a very balanced band, and again I voice my regret that they have such a tiny discography for a band who have been in existence for as long as they have. It's an indication of how good they are that this song, nine minutes and change, is almost over and I haven't even realised it. Certainly did not drag or seem to never end, as some songs of this length have done for me. The album closes on a short track, in fact, the final two tracks are the longest and the shortest respectively, with "Ragnarok" not even hitting the four minute mark. It is in fact another instrumental, a much heavier, crunching one than "Empty lies the oaken throne", and forms a sort of end-credits theme to bookend the filmic overture that began the album, complete with dour tolling bells. Sheer class!
TRACKLISTING
1. Lamentations IV
2. Neither time nor tide
3. Only the strong
4. Absolution extreme
5. These forever bleak paths
6. Empty lies the oaken throne
7. Last wish
6. Wintermoon rapture
9. The man who lost the sun
10. Ragnarok
I guess I've been shown two different sides of doom metal then. Candlemass, despite their mass (sorry) appeal and importance in the sub-genre didn't really appeal to me that much. Well that's not fair: I liked their music, just thought it all sounded a bit the same and lost interest about halfway through the album. There is however something different about Solstice. I really enjoyed this album and I would be interested in listening to more. I'll have to hunt down their second and, so far, only album in due course.
Hopefully they'll come roaring back, as they seem to intend to, with a great third album this year. For fans of the band it's been a long time coming, and I, who have only just heard them for the first time now, find that, rather surprising myself, I'm joining the clamour and starting to hope.
Read more here[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice_%28UK_doom_metal_band%29]/url]