Solstice – Death’s Crown Is Victory

Releasedate: 10-02-2014; Label: Into The Void Records
By: Sabine van Gameren

The Doomformation Solstice has its base in the UK. The band has been formed in 1990, including a five year break the band has quite some years on the counter. Also quite a list of releases is behind their name, but the band seems to have a preference for smaller releases as during these years only two full lengths came out. The last two release have been compilations so it is good to finally receive some new material of these guys with the release of their new EP called “Death’s Crown Is Victory”.

When starting the release, you get presented an instrumental piece first, good as you can enjoy that throughout, great guitarriffs and wonderful melodies are bringing you into the right atmosphere. But with a track like that you get simply what you could expect from the band, the more interesting are the two following tracks, which both clock over 9 minutes but include the vocals Paul Kearns, which we have not heard here before. He fits in there beautifully, with the addition of these vocals you feel like listening to an Epic Doom fairy-tale but what stands out most in these tracks is that the band never overdid it with the vocals, everything in the music has its own moment to shine when the time is there and it comes all very balanced.

Solstice clearly knows what they are doing and closing it off with another instrumental track you can conclude that this EP is giving you that Solstice update that you have been waiting for so long.

Line up:
Paul T. Kearns – Vocals
Richard M. Walker – Guitar
Andy Whittaker – Guitar
Ian Buxton – Bass
James Ashbey – Drums

Tracklist: 01. Fortress England 02. I Am The Hunter 03. Death’s Crown Is Victory 04. Aequinoctium II

Links:
Solstice Facebook