A solstice occurs twice a year, whenever Earth's axis tilts the most toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon - Wikipedia. SOLSTICE occurred in the 90s, whenever Earth's mood tilted the most only away from the sun, causing doom-ness to be farthest deep or deeper at metalheads' hearts - Greg. Choose the enlightenment you like...
Britain is my so-long ex-best friend. Then ruling the Metal world, now deep in the 'marketing trendy' music styles. Bradford, West Yorkshire's SOLSTICE, thankfully, never thought of performing music applicable to the masses. Three albums, a bunch of 7/10/demo/EPs and much of 'mourning' Doom Metal - the British way - was the band's offerings in its existence. Although pleading 'not totally dead', the act's mainman Rick Walker is - the last years - devoted to his Miskatonic Foundation record label (SLOUGH FEG, WARNING, DESOLATION ANGELS), rather willing to preserve the slow-paced Metal sub-genre's ideals. 2005's Blood And Honour should not be considered as a 'comeback' release, but rather as a compilation of old demos and other rare stuff from the fluent history of SOLSTICE.
For lovers of 'epic' Doom Metal, SOLSTICE has - and will always be - a cult band. I adore their will to derive 'shadows' of obscurity from the ancient likes of PAGAN ALTAR, PENTAGRAM, WITCHFINDER GENERAL and - of course - (Ozzy era) BLACK SABBATH. Still, main inspiration also comes from the 'fighting' of MANOWAR, the powerful gloom of SOLITUDE AETURNUS/CANDLEMASS and the 'epic' BATHORY stuff, while - is it my idea? - the band shows enough of interest in 'arrangement' themes the way 'underground' IRON MAIDEN tunes were penned. Or - at least - that's what I though listening (again) to the Cyclone Empire re-releases of Lamentations, Halcyon and New Dark Age.
Lamentations (originally released in 1994) was all about 'epic' Doom Metal. The quintet's songwriting potential is unique, enough to let the album now being considered a 'classic' in the genre. Simon Matraver's singing is neat yet primordial, while the guitar work is really 'heavy' (then guitarist Gian Piras to join British Goth/Black metallers CRADLE OF FILTH). Listening to the album for the x-th time, a rather renaissance atmosphere comes crumbling down, setting Lamentations on an added dimension; all these, if you can read between the lines...Three bonus tracks are included here, all of 'em deriving from SOLSTICE's 1994 Ragnarok demo. Check for Last Wish over there...
Halcyon (originally released in 1996 as a five-track EP) is quite 'epic', too, but I can see some of melancholy in it. The original release is now considered a collector's item, since the band's (then) label went bankrupt; hence, it was a 'now-you-see-it-now-you-don't' status when the EP came out. Graven Deep can as well be the most comprehensive SOLSTICE tune, featuring all the lament/epos/primal an 'epic' Doom Metal song should consist of. The cover of Gloves OF Metal (MANOWAR) is not astonishing, yet it depicts the association of the 'kings' of Metal with the murkiness of SOLSTICE. Much of interest is the addition of eight(!) bonus tracks in the EP edition: the whole Drunken Dungeon Session demo (1997) is present here, recorded after the Halcyon EP release. The demo features new singer Morris Ingram, a man rather 'different' from Simon Matravers and more keen on folk/pagan(?) 'paths'. Seven songs were recorded for this session, but only three made it to the tape. Some tunes made it to the New Dark Age album (see below), while a weird cover of Solitude (CANDLEMASS) features Karl Simon (GATES OF SLUMBER) on vocals, too.
New Dark Age (originally released in 1998) is said to be the band's top release. If you feel Doom Metal too 'boring' for your likes, try this album and come up with your own revampedconclusion. Eleven tracks of 'black' Doom Metal, powerful yet dramatic, but not melodramatic at all. The riffing may be slow enough - even for SOLSTICE - but aims straight to the soul. Ingram offers - again - some 'folk Metal' singing but (overall) songs like Cimmerian Codex, Hammer Of Damnation and (most of all) the Cromlech/New Dark Age II/Legion XIII trio are destined to fulfil your everlasting grim. Bonus features include a cover of The Prophecy (IRON MAIDEN) and Stormchild (TRESPASS). Need more, you old-school metallers?
Cyclone Empire has made a tremendous move by putting these SOLSTICE albums on sale again; if you'd like to try one, it'd not be too easy. All three of them are 'killers'; bearing in mind there's tons of extra 'stuff' in each CD, do yourself a favour and proceed to one of the (limited) post-80s Metal bands Great Britain has offered the last fifteen years. All CDs feature photos and 'rich' liner notes...what are you waiting for? It's not only for CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETURNUS and (80s) TROUBLE in this life!