Hailing from the home of heavy metal, Solstice have been in the game for some time, and are now on the track to breaking through into metal legend. Their new album White Horse Hill is sure to please many fans of the epic/doom metal style that generated from classic British bands such as Black Sabbath.
The opening of the album starts with III and then moves into the heaviness of To Sol a Thane, at eight minutes long the song enables the whole band to shine. Be it the soaring vocals of singer Paul Kearns, or the guitars of Rich Walker and Andy Whittaker, and the smashing drums of Rick Budby. This harmonious team continues on Beheld A Man of Straw, which is much more melodic and soulful.
White Horse Hill is next, starting with clean guitar and a soulful vocal from Paul Kearns, it moves into heaviness, with the distorted riffs, the tribal drums carry the song as the band move from one mood to the next, flawlessly. For All Days and For None is another song that carries the clean tone of the guitars, and the soulful vocals of Paul Kearns bringing the band into something of a medieval movie set. Under Waves Lies Our Dead is guitar duels and epic vocal lines and melodies combined into one searingly epic song. Gallow Fen is a nice ending to the album, a clear track with influences ranging across the spectrum.
This album is one that is sure to catch the imagination of many music listeners. Be sure to get it when it is released on 6th April via Invictus Productions.