Metalcore bands seem to coming out of the woodwork on labels like Roadrunner, Victory, Relapse, and of course Metal Blade, where this latest release from Virginia's own Winter Solstice happens to reside. This five-piece band pummel you over the head with an unrelenting brand of thrash/hardcore that, while technically competent, sounds rather monotonous and repetitive over repeated listens. Part of the problem is the unbearable screaming and groaning from vocalist Matt Tarpey, whose delivery gets irritating and old quickly. That's too bad really, because the twin guitars of JT Turner and Caleb Goins really churn out some cool riffs and intricate dual harmony leads throughout many of the CD's ten cuts. Their wild and complex riffery do an admirable job of cutting through the maniacal barking of Tarpey on the heavy "55/23", and add an epic flavor to tracks like the doom/death metal of "The Hampton Roads Fourth Annual Parade of the Blind". The end result though is metal that is fairly pedestrian and unmemorable. Riffs and guitar passages alone don't make an album. Winter Solstice shows some promise, but I would concentrate on the songwriting and either get Matt Tarpey to chill out a bit or get another singer.
Track Listing
1. Following Caligula
2. Calibrate The Virus
3. Watcher
4. Courtesy Bow
5. The Fall Of Rome
6. Malice In Wonderland
7. 55 / 23
8. The Hampton Roads Fourth Annual Parade Of The Blind
9. To The Nines
10. L'aeroport
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