Volatile is a good way to describe the average metal scene. Some really great bands have come and gone in a flash, done in by everything from inner turmoil to outer fistfights. Other times the band isn't so much done in, but the mercurial nature of musicians can lead them into other bands or other projects.

Then there are the bands that come back from time to time, surfacing with some new material along with a few new faces, and it can suddenly feel like there were no years in between. Such is the case of "To Dust", the 2009 return album of Florida-based Death/Thrash outfit SOLSTICE, which has been given a digital bath and a limited gold vinyl release. It's a bit of a curious move, following last year's new album, "Casting The Die", was not given the warm welcome it may have needed.

The combination of Death and Thrash metals is one tried and true. The balanced attack comes through on tracks such as "Conclusion Disillusion", the much leaner "Sovereignty", and "Black", the opener. The two styles seem to vacillate between periods of harmony where they are played in tandem, but they can also feel like they're at odds sometimes.

The rest of the album more or less leans into one or the other side of the spectrum. Death dominant tracks include "Honest Human Emotion", the very heavy "Swarm", and the even heavier "Moment Of Clarity". Rapid tempo changes is the genre hallmark most used here, which does work a fair portion of the time, but in a lot of spots, and for most of "Passionless", they tend to just hurt the song's momentum.

For the Thrash end, the standout is the title track "To Dust", whose solo is a delectable throwback to the genre's 80's roots. "Impressive Technology" comes off a bit lighter of heart, like it's not taking things too seriously, which comes on the heels of "Extremes", a decent CYNIC cover.

If consistency is key, then the door is still locked on SOLSTICE. Despite sporting a powerful presence in a cross-genre which demands it, "To Dust" just doesn't have the depth. That's interesting to note because the recording lineup had been involved or would eventually become involved with so many different bands, like CEPHALIC CARNAGE and CANNIBAL CORPSE, to top an incredible laundry list of associated bands. How then does "To Dust" come out just good, and not great? For all the album's great moments, why do none shatter the earth beneath?

The age old adage "A hit is a hit" can be hard to understand, but the most important detail for "To Dust" is that there aren't any hits. Put it all together and it's a nice album for highway driving or weight lifting, with eleven tracks totaling a bit under forty-two minutes, which can be affected by the time dilation also inherent in Death metal to seem even longer. But the magic of SOLSTICE is limited. A more concrete and comfortable lineup may have made the difference, but when your debut album just turned thirty, it may be time to whittle expectations.