When a genre is as saturated as Metalcore it takes a truly original record to catch my attention, seeing as so many bands of this style sound alike. While the promo letter, art layout and concept of comparing the fall of Rome with modern day America did seem promising for this Virginia five piece, Winter Solstice unfortunately fail to really set themselves apart from the Metalcore masses.

Let me elaborate on the positive first. Winter Solstice don’t really do anything wrong, as they balance the speedy double bass passages and chugging breakdowns like pros, throwing some blasts in for variety. Riff wise, these guys draw from the Gothenburg page like most Metalcore bands (see 55/23), relying heavily on quick tremolo riffs and dual harmonies which are well performed. At times the band favor thrashier territory (see Watcher and the end of To the Nines) but unfortunately they do not follow this direction enough. Regardless, if you’re a diehard Metalcore fan, this just might be the band for you.

Negative points? This album is basically caught in the middle of the pack. Not falling behind but not really getting ahead, Fall of Rome is somewhat forgettable when listening to it front to back, as it grows difficult to distinguish individual songs. Another rough spot arises in the vocal department. While I can usually tolerate Metalcore vocals, those found on Fall of Rome really started grating on my nerves after a while, which wouldn’t have been as bad had there been some cleanly sung passages thrown in rather than the sparingly used spoken parts. Since these guys are still a young band, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but there definitely remains considerable room for improvement. Hopefully they’ll be able to find a more original niche on their next release.

With all this being said, it’s up to the listener to decide. If you dig this genre, by all means check out Winter Solstice, but should you despise it, you will surely be rolling your eyes thirty seconds in. While I would normally file myself in the latter category, the beautiful and extremely tasteful acoustic title track makes me think these guys have the creative potential to rise above. Metalcore laced with acoustics? I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.