Solstice Rider – The Renewal of Broken Blades

Band: Solstice Rider
Title: The Renewal of Broken Blades
Label: Independent
Release date: September 22nd, 2024
Country: USA
Format Reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording

Forging a New Era: Solstice Rider’s “Renewal of Broken Blades” as the Pinnacle of Metal Fusion Excellence”.

Discover the mesmerizing sounds of Solstice Rider in their latest EP, “The Renewal of Broken Blades.” This review explores the band’s unique blend of melodic, progressive, heavy, thrash, and death metal, highlighting their impressive vocal dynamics and lyrical depth. Join me on an epic adventure through their powerful music and captivating artistry! (By Elyna Steel).

Today we will delve into an amazing adventure that comes from Southern Maryland, United States. I am referring to Solstice Rider, an American musical project formed in 2020 by Jeremy Bluteau (clean vocals, keyboards, guitars). João Corceiro (lead guitars) joined in 2022 and then Chris Bone (lead vocals) joined in 2023. 

Their discography includes the Ep “Star of the North” and their first album “Suffer to Glory”, both released in 2021. The band also released the singles “The Wildchild Rides On” (2023); “Brothers” and “Hiding From Winter’s Tempest” (2024). These last three are part of the setlist of their second Ep, “The Renewal of The Broken Blades”, released last  September 22, and the protagonist of this review.

To be honest, I didn’t meet them until a few months ago. Jeremy was the first member of these solstice riders whom I started following, since we have one of my favorite singers in life as a common friend on FB. Then I found out that Jeremy had a metal band, Solstice Rider. And, after a few weeks spent listening to a lot of music and writing a lot of reviews, I looked them up on Spotify. And there was their second Ep.  “Let’s listen to it,” I said to myself. And it was worth it, because they left me speechless. 

I’ve been a metalhead for over 30 years, so I can recognize when a band or project has the potential for a Category 5 hurricane. And these guys certainly have that potential.  Solstice Rider makes Epic Melo Death Metal, as they classify the music they create. But in all honesty, these guys are much more than a label.

And, while it is true, labels are necessary to guide us regarding the genre or meaning of things, in this case it is the music that speaks, not the labels. Now, if I have to give them an indicative label, it would be Metal Fusion of Excellence, for their music is both complex and fluid to the point that it amazes.

Among the many qualities that this group has, their creative strength stands out along with their impressive ability to fuse different elements of melodic, thrash, progressive, heavy, power and death metal, which is evident in “The Renewal of Broken Blades”.  Likewise, the nods to the early years of death-doom metal create unique atmospheres, making the music flow naturally and taking the listening experience to higher levels. 

Each of the 5 songs that make up the Ep are a unique experience and give life to a beautiful sonic adventure. And each new listen is a new experience that revitalizes. Now, by “relistening” I mean falling into loops of at least 1 hour of listening to the same song, over and over again. You know; autistic brain that finds “safe” sounds and voluntarily becomes their prisoner.

Vocally speaking, Solstice Rider combines impressive guttural vocals, by Chris Bone, on par with melo death legends such as Johann Hegg of Amon Amarth or the unforgettable Alexi Lahio of Children of Bodom, with beautiful, heartfelt and brilliant clean vocals by Jeremy Bluteau. However, this male vocal pattern saw a variation in this Ep with the inclusion of female vocals. This change infused the album with a hint of the atmosphere reminiscent of Lacrimosa and Lacuna Coil.

On the other hand, the lyrical narrative, developed in those 5 chapters, delves into the theme of the human condition, through fantasy and varied imagery.

The first track is “The Wildchild Rides On”, running for 05:12’. The song was written as a tribute to the great Alexi Lahio. It is a masterful epic, dynamic in rhythmic meter, melody and voices. The keyboards at the beginning create a sublime crescendo atmosphere. The vibrant harmonic riffs that follow, along with the intense guitar and keyboard solos throughout the track, are a direct blow to the heart and musical memory, evoking the characteristic sounds of the beginnings of Sonata Arctica – the band that inspired Jeremy Bluteau to delve into power metal. The demolishing and dynamic rhythmic base, with progressive cuts, together with the musical arrangements give the sensation of a summons, of a call to prepare. In fact, this song is perfect to portray the war scenes in a metal compilation about “The Lord of the Rings”. I leave it as a suggestion!

Furthermore, the impeccable interpretation of the guttural vocals along with the clean vocals in the outro are thrilling. I imagine Jeremy becoming a noble bard recounting the exploits of the Wild child who rides on. With sounds of power, melodic, heavy, progressive and death metal, this magical first chapter tributes and faithfully represents Lahio’s spirit. And I’m sure that wherever he is now, he must be headbanging and enjoying this powerful tribute.

The second track is “Dead Artistry”, 04:54′ long. It is a beautiful and very powerful song that combines elements of melodic doom metal, death metal, power metal and ballads. The initial atmosphere evokes the nostalgia and “brilliant” darkness of Paradise Lost in the 90s, accelerating the melody and rhythm afterwards. Reminiscent of Épica in the composition and in the deep and exquisite guttural vocals, the various layers of the track truly surprise. At minute 02:27 a beautiful voice appears. It’s the Singer X that I mentioned. She’s a girl, that’s the only thing I know, since she didn’t want to appear in the credits. And yes, I know her first name, but I won’t tell you. I will only say that it is one of the voices with the most complete and beautiful color, timbre and musicality that I have heard. I said complete, because it has the potential to fit into practically any metal subgenre with clean vocals. Furthermore, the musical arrangements in this section, the harmonic guitars and the dynamism of the rhythmic base further highlight the beauty of this nameless voice. The emotional finale in acoustic guitars, distant riffs and nostalgic keyboards slows down and puts us in the mood to enjoy the third track.

“Brothers” lasts 05:06’. It is the ballad of the Ep, featuring Singer X. It evokes magic, nostalgia, melancholy and at the same time hope. It’s not a chill, but that beautiful feeling of being very warm on a very cold day in the middle of the hardest existential crisis and then listening to “Brothers” that comes like a balm for the spirit. 

The vocal lines of our lovely singer converge smoothly with the melodic- rhythmic base, aligning and harmonizing masterfully throughout the song. The melancholic riffs and solos add another layer of depth to the overall. The heartfelt flute, the disconnected guitar and the piano at the end of the track evoke in me the song “Your Symphony” by the Spanish band Dark Moor. This beautiful power metal ballad interweaves elements of doom, folk and progressive, giving life to a gem of the genre.

The fourth track is “Soul’s Refrain”, which lasts 05:48’. This multifaceted track, composed in a minor key, has a melodic and rhythmic structure that evokes diverse sonorities; Opeth, Amon Amarth, the early years of Amorphis, and Children of Bodom. It goes at a medium pace, where the harmonic riffs at the beginning leave you glued to the ceiling. The pace accelerates and the brutal guttural vocals increase the adrenaline to the maximum. Then, in the choruses, the rhythm slows down and the guitars and voice take center stage, while the melody becomes deeper and more dramatic. The interludes and codas are absolutely keyboards-and-guitar driven, radiant. They are sounds that touch the soul, that call for introspection and reflection. Throughout the track, these sound moments alternate and create synesthesias, becoming true oases with the fusion of ethereal keyboards, powerful rhythmic base and melodic guitars. In sum, “Soul’s Refrain” is a cut that envelops and enchants. It is one of the songs that every metalhead likes, regardless of genre or age. Otherwise, you have to be too “true” to not love a track of this level!

And closing this journey, the fifth track – and one of my favorites, by the way – is “Hiding From Winter’s Tempest”, clocking in at 05:45’. In this track, these guys navigate the seas of power, doom, death, progressive and even flirt with heavy and thrash. They give us a master class in how different genres merge to create an essential song. Furthermore, for us Angra fans, it turns out that this song, along with several others from SR’s discography, have many sonic elements that evoke this iconic Brazilian progressive power band. It starts fast, slows down in the middle and picks up speed towards the end – just like the heart beats by pumping, resting and pumping again – I mean the metal heart, of course! The closing of the track – and the ep – is anthology, echoing Amon Amart’s “Live for The Kill” and “Twilight of The Thunder God” in the rhythmic meter, the melody and the spectacular voices of Chris and Jeremy in an emotional and powerful blast.

The songwriting and production of the songs are of the highest level. Furthermore, the sequence of appearance of each of these 5 tracks is consistent with the general musicality of the Ep and the lyrical narrative, without pretensions beyond the expression of the soul through music and singing.

Last but not least to mention, the artwork of the Ep immediately catches your attention. The drawing, which shows a blacksmith and his assistant restoring a sword, reminds me of the iconic passage from “The Return of the King”; you know, Narsil being restored and transformed into Anduril to be returned to the Heir of Isildur, who fighted against the dark forces and thus fulfill all the hopes of salvation of Middle Earth after Frodo, along with Sam, will destroyed the One Ring.

It also reminds me of the covers of yesterdays’ storybooks, when the only spoiler available was precisely the image on the cover. If it was not attractive enough, the book in question ran the serious risk of passing unnoticed and remaining in the library collecting dust. In this case, and despite being simple, the design of this cover conveys the idea of an epic story of hope and restoration of things; of a transition from dark and dead to light and life.

In short, with “The Renewal of Broken Blades”, Solstice Rider gives us not only an Ep, but a plethora of immense talent in every sense. They manage to impeccably fuse the best of many metal subgenres, just as the immortal Alexi Lahio and his Children of Bodom did at the time in the 90s. The band delivers an eclectic, refined, brutal and timeless sound. A sound that any metal fan – of any style – can enjoy, because the different layers and elements that make it up appeal to different sonorities and sensibilities.

And the best of all is that there is balance, meaning that no style or element stands out over another, but they all have their role, they all fit perfectly in the different sections.

“The Renewal of Broken Blades” is an example of how to do things right, of how you can take the best of the best and take it to an even higher level.

Solstice Rider are much more than a label: they are the impeccable embodiment of the best of extreme metal and the best of melodic metal. And this is just the beginning, ladies and gentlemen, because we have had Solstice Rider for a long time. I hope so, because they are magnificent! 

And one last message for Jeremy; please convince the amazing Singer X to make her name known, because I love her, and we need her! 10/10 by Elyna

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10/10 Immortal Classic
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