In Solitude - Sister (2013)

It's a fairly common occurrence where a new band will come along, put out a few albums emulating a particular influence, style or 'scene', and then suddenly get struck with a storm of sporadic creativity that puts them a great distance from where they started. In Solitude's third full-length, Sister is a glaring example of such a game changer, a work that contains only a fraction of aesthetics that could be comparable to either of its predecessors, and even then that usually manifests in a little lead lick, or a vocal line that still captures a bit of essence of the legendary Danish bands that first inspired the Swedes' sound. For the majority of its running time, however, Sister has entered new ground, basically a fresh take on Gothic rock/metal that doesn't just sound like another doppelganger of Sisters of Mercy or The Cult, even if those do sound like they would have been among the influences that helped inform this transformation.

So damn different, and so brilliant, you could almost see this as an album that would foreshadow their fellow Swedes Tribulation and their own third album transformation. Sister mesmerizes instantly with its brooding, glistening acoustic intro "He Comes" and you will immediately be struck by the lower pitched gloom of the vocals. When the metal arrives in "Death Knows Where", you might actually get a little hint of a King Diamond-style guitar melody, but it just feels more shadowy and depressing to fall in line with that Gothic aesthetic, and here we get some awesome howling vocals which are at once frightening and as soothing as the grave. The riff structures still have a good share of metallic elements, like dour little melodies that play out along the chords, and the essence of occult heavy metal is still felt in the note choices, but there are also pieces like "A Buried Sun" which are like an edgy, airy, downcast rock and roll very similar to what Sólstafir transformed into with their own transformative 2009 stunner Köld. The difference there, however, is that feels more like an Icelandic roadhouse for Gothic cowboys, and this Sister is more like a black & white silent horror film...more Bauhaus...more vampiric.

Sister is by far my favorite In Solitude album, one so great that I felt a trace of emotional devastation when the band decided to call it quits, because I thought it sat so well in my collection with Climax by Beastmilk, which dropped in the same year, or the records the aforementioned Sólstafir was putting out. The evolution might have come as a shock to many, and I remember some bitching and moaning, but this is honestly so much more impressive than a band doing Mercyful Fate or King Diamond far less worthily than the genuine articles. And yet, some of that STILL creeps through, but relegated tastefully to some of the guitars. All of the songs here are my favorite songs from this band, like the amazing "Pallid Hands", "Lavender", "Horses in the Ground", or the creepy, crawling title cut, and this was one of the better albums the year it came out, and one I still spin often today, especially when that late Autumn chill starts creeping into my days. Not heavy on the surface, perhaps, but so heavy in its own way that it just drips sorrow and darkness  despite any overt need for chaos or destruction.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10]

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In Solitude - In Solitude (2008)

I'm not going to repeat what others have said too much, the obvious...In Solitude is another of a batch of bands, many Swedish, who came along with a sound heavily reminiscent of the old Danish masters Mercyful Fate. They aren't the most egregious example of such, and you could tell from the debut that the group had some different ideas, but that's really the wheelhouse in which they're toiling. The band uses the Fate toolbox, but not its limitations, and in fact I think its this band's solitude which is a little more of a doppelganger for that sound. Fortunately, unlike a few of their peers, this band put together a pretty damn well composed album which could stand on its own outside the shadow of its influence, and In Solitude has a clean, efficient production that isn't a far cry from what their countrymen in Ghost would attempt with their simpler and more accessible debut Opus Enonymous. 

There is a bit of the falsetto shrieking you might expect, but vocalist Pelle spends more time in a sort of soaring, mid-range which emulates a little of the creepy King patterns, but also carries inflections of a lot of other epic/heavy metal bands. The riffs, too, seem drawn from a wider array of classic metal bands, with even a measure of 70s inspiration drawing me back to Rainbow or early Priest. In a few places I even caught a hint of Candlemass. Maybe I'm crazy. Once it gets a little harder and meaner, you do get some vibes from albums like Don't Break the Oath, Abigail, or Them, with the darker rhythm patterns and breakout leads not unlike Andy, but it's never so annoying that it feels like outright theft. They definitely excel at tacking into that horror/haunting vibe, and the record is consistently hammering along, they don't stop a lot for interludes or thematics, it's the straight metal dope or bust. "Witches Sabbath", "7th Ghost", "Kathedral" and "Temple of the Unknown" are favorites here, but it's actually quite consistent across all 36 minutes.

Where it does lack a little in having individual riffs that are blazing and immortal, or vocals lines with a real hook. The tunes flow well together and which one another, but oftentimes I'll be listening through this and just expecting some money shot lick to come flying at me, only to end up a little underwhelmed. The leads are good, but don't really reach that explosive next level that I love in metal music. But all in all, In Solitude is a very seasoned and solidly composed record, especially for a debut, and its just busy enough that you get a hint of promise that it might prove prescient of some greater evolution in the future, taking the influences somewhere different. And boy would they ever do that a half-decade later, but maybe not in the way I would have expected.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

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In Solitude - The World. The Flesh. The Devil (2011)

In Solitude is one of a trio of Swedish bands who have unearthed a striking similarity to Danish legends Mercyful Fate. Seeing that all have found a rather high profile home (both this group and Portrait signing on with Metal Blade), one might discern the formation of a trending, or 'hot' sound. This is not to take credit away from these acts, who are all good for what they do, but The World. The Flesh. The Devil tends to play it pretty safe, and it takes a few songs for anything really interesting to happen. Having grabbed the album this past summer, listened a few times and then put it away, I decided to dig it back out and see how it's aged with me, but I'm sad to report that the impact is about the same: good, but really nothing special in the end, slightly short of the band's debut. Perhaps a little of the zeal placed in this band (and album) is borne more of a nostalgia for the beloved, rare sound they represent rather than the actual quality and memorability of their songs.

Now, I doubt anyone could accuse In Solitude of directly aping their Danish masters, because in truth the majority of semblance comes from the vocals of Pelle Åhman, whose vocals mirror the mid-range, wavering howls of King Diamond, with perhaps a dash of James Rivera in how he sustains the end of his phrasings. He's got this style locked, but unfortunately he lacks the dynamic range, falsetto squeals and cheesy but endearing narrative that Petersen is known for (more on his solo albums, perhaps). As a result, a lot of the verse structures and the chorus sequences in these songs feel pretty samey and unremarkable, even if his tone is not unpleasant upon the ear. Thankfully the lyrics are quite interesting examinations of haunting vices and occult concepts, so this helps a lot in gluing ears to Pelle's guidance atop the cruising, mid paced chord batteries, but I felt that by the time the record was half over, there was very little nuance in the performance and the 14 minute finale "On Burning Paths" didn't deviate far from the titular opening track.

Musically, the Swedes diverge somewhat from the precise riffing climate of their prime influence. Unlike their countrymen Ghost, In Solitude do not dabble much in 60s or 70s psychedelia as a basis, but instead charge along the well trodden path of hard rock and heavy metal pioneered by the NWOBHM movement. Maybe some Angel Witch, UFO, Priest and Deep Purple, or forefathers in the Swedish scene like Heavy Load and Proud. Certainly songs like "We Were Never Here" and "Poisoned, Blessed and Burned" have an air of eerie sadness to them that resonates the Fate/King Diamond atmosphere, but others like "The World the Flesh the Devil" or "Demons" have a bit of Maiden pomp, and some, including "To Her Darkness" hone in on a hard rocking, central strut that feels even more archaic. All told, though, these guys come up with functional, workmanlike guitar lines. Not all are created equal, and few distinct unto themselves, but in tandem with Åhman's straightforward, soaring tones, they get the job done.

The album does tend to work against itself in terms of consistency, because I found the closing pieces like "Dance of the Adversary" and "On Burning Paths" to be its strongest, the former with a lot of Romantic charm and mystique to the bridge melodies; the latter simply offering a far more varied and adventurous side of the band that isn't explored on the shorter pieces leading up to it. Worse, though, is the almost utter lack of memorable chorus hooks. Instead of sugary, ear bleeding climaxes, the vocals rarely feel any different than the verses, and thus is lost one of the major hallmarks of all the old school acts this one desires to offer libations. For some, The World. The Flesh. The Devil will surely get by on its nostalgic virtue alone, and yet with such a primary component missing, this is not something I can envision myself returning to repeatedly, whereas an album like Enforcer's Diamonds has both the hooks AND the retro appeal. In Solitude has raw potential, it just needs a little more time to sizzle on the hellfire grill before served.

Verdict: Win [7/10] (in roots and bones and embers)

http://www.myspace.com/InSolitudeHeavyMetal