The last time we heard Florida death/thrash outfit Solstice they were supporting their To Dust album back in 2009. A year and a day since, the outfit — helmed by founding members guitarist Dennis Muñoz and drummer Alex Marquez — have lined up new album, Casting the Die, with new label Emanzipation Productions, a Denmark-based indie with a storied back catalog.
Before pushing Casting the Die into reality, Solstice re-configured its lineup in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Musical wizards Ryan Taylor (guitar) and Marcel Salas (bass) were added to the lineup as Dennis and Alex reassessed the band and its modus operandi. Musically, Casting the Die is cut more from the cloth of Solstice (1992) and Pray (1995), but boosted with the musicianship of today. While it’s taken several years for Casting the Die to find the right outlet — the album was recorded in 2017, the wait has been worth it, especially considering this is brand-new Solstice death-thrash produced (by Dennis) in the classic vein of Scott Burns. So, not only are Solstice jamming some of the best material of their career, it’s sounding exactly like we remember them from the Florida scene heyday.
Says Dennis: “Casting the Die is definitely more akin to the first two album’s sound and style as opposed to To Dust, but there are some fresh elements on this new one that weren’t overly prevalent in the past, such as Marcel’s bass playiny — you’ll actually find some nice slap parts on here, and something else that wasn’t done too much before that you’ll find on the new one is the trade off solos, a lot of Muñoz/Taylor action going on. [Lyrically], we usually like to leave the meaning of things up to the listener to get their own subjective perspective. Let’s just say this one is about prevailing through life’s obstacles — not second guessing when opportunity presents itself — and leaving behind a legacy you can look back on and be proud of. Success is when preparation meets opportunity.”
Let’s all prepare for Solstice to ignite 2021!
