|
What
we have here with Winter Solstice is some very high quality hardcore influenced thrash metal. Fans of bands like As I Lay
Dying, early Underoath, Zao, and Dead to Fall will be all over this group. The band is tight, brutal, and aggressive throughout.
They also rely a lot on the stop/start punishing riffs that bands like Living Sacrifice utilized on their Reborn
album, but with a guitar sound similar to that of Believer. Vocalist, Matt Tarpey sounds like a mix of Kurt
Bachman of Believer, As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis, and any one of the current metalcore vocalists out there that combine
growling with blood curdling screams. The difference with his vocals in comparison with other vocalists in
the genre is the huge amount of passion he unleashes. Not that other vocalists don't, but this is very noticeable.
Production
and artwork are both very well done. And the lyrics are deep and thought-provoking. My biggest complaint
would be the all-too-similar sound to so many other bands out there in this genre. While the band is powerful and passionate,
there sound isn't vastly different or original in comparison to similar-styled bands. Let's just say...what they do,
they do in excellent fashion. (Review by Matt)
|
