Time Signature I am the hunter...

Genre: traditional/doom metal

Hailed as epic doom metal masters, the British act Solstice bestow upon you a four-song EP in the form of "Death's Crown Is Victory". The EP, which is a comeback of sorts was released in 2013 on White Horse and again in February this year on Into The Void Records.

Out of the four tracks, two are actually instrumentals - namely, 'Fortress England' and "Aequinoctium II". The former is slightly epic-sounding and, not surprisingly, militaristically oriented, affair while the latter is a melodic doom metal track. The two non-instrumentals are really more in the vein of traditional metal than doom metal, although they are generally heavy and rich in melancholic melodies. 'I Am The Hunter' offers up some compelling vocals melodies and guitar leads. With its nine minutes worth of playing time, this song reaches epic proportions, and, although it is generally upbeat, it does feature a heavy and doom-laden bridge. The title track is almost ten minutes long and features slightly folksy elements akin to Slough Feg and some neat twin guitar figures. Compared to 'I Am The Hunter', this track is considerably heavier and enters into epic doom metal territory in its own way.

I think this EP is pretty good, and if it is a sign of things to come, then it is also promising. It retains the melancholy of melodic doom metal and infuses it with a slight sense of folk music in much the same way that Slough Feg are known for and what Falconer did on "Armod" (although heavier than both). Fans of such bands should definitely give this EP a listen.