When it comes to the Florida death metal scene, we know all about Death and Morbid Angel and Deicide and Obituary and Massacre and…you get the idea. One band who isn’t brought up as much as they should be is Solstice. Not to be confused with the English epic doom band of the same name, Solstice was formed in 1990 by Rob Barrett, Alex Marquez, and Dennis Munoz. Both Barrett and Marquez would join Malevolent Creation not long after the release of Solstice’s 1992 self titled debut, and Barrett would eventually play guitars in Cannibal Corpse on and off for the next 25+ years. In other words, this band has quite some history behind them.
This current incarnation of Solstice sees Marquez and Munoz joining forces with newcomers Ryan Taylor (guitars, vocals) and Marcel Salas (bass) to release their fourth album, Casting the Die. Unlike past Solstice releases, Casting the Die is a straightforward brutal thrash record. Solstice always leaned more on the thrash side of death/thrash, but the death metal elements on this record are little to none. When they do pop up, they’re in the form of the occasional blastbeat (“Outlast”, “Cast the Die”). The riffing lies somewhere between Reign in Blood era Slayer and Demolition Hammer. And my goodness, if you want muscular, moshy breakdowns, you’ve got ’em.
Unlike certain other thrash bands of yore (*cough cough* Artillery *cough*), Solstice keeps it old school. The result is a one dimensional release, but that works a lot better than, “Hey, check out all the modern rock and metal influences we can incorporate onto a record.” The only characteristic throughout that I don’t associate with Solstice is an underlying hardcore punk influence. This is especially evident in the breakdowns and vocal delivery. I’m not talking about the old school, breakneck 80s hardcore sound associated with crossover thrash. I’m talking about the Slayer influenced rage of 90s hardcore. Or metallic hardcore. Or first wave metalcore. Whatever you wanna call it. Think Integrity, Ringworm, Merauder, etc.
Despite never being as technically proficient as fellow Floridians Atheist and Hellwitch, Solstice always had a tendency to showcase flashy guitar solos courtesy of Munoz. Cast the Die is no exception. Cuts like “Who Bleeds Whom”, “The Altruist”, and the frantically compelling “Eyes Sewn Shut” boast virtuosic leads characteristic of the late Chuck Schuldiner. I’m sure this is no coincidence. Growing up in south Florida in the 80s, all the early death metal bands influenced each other.
Aside from an occasionally flat production, there’s really nothing to complain about on Casting the Die. By no means is it in the same league as the band’s classic debut album, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable either. What can I say? It’s meat and potatoes thrash with an extra heaping of meat. Actually, forget the potatoes. It’s just a giant serving of meat. Chow down you savage brute and thrash to the sound of these Miami metal masters!
6 out of 10
Label: Emanzipation Productions
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Slayer, Demolition Hammer, Sepultura