In Solitude - In Solitude

Amongst a small group of resurgent classic heavy metal bands is Sweden’s In Solitude, blending the unique melodicism and occult aesthetics of Mercyful Fate with the archetypal Iron Maiden and Judas Priest metal sound to form In Solitude, their debut album. Traces of vast arrays of heavy metal bands from various scenes are surely also influences, which provide a small bit of variety to the proceedings. However, the fundamental elements here can all be traced back to Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. In “Kathedral”, for example, the blend of Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate is highly evident, from the Priest-like opening riff to the Mercyful Fate styled break midway in which the short, sharp drum hits underscore a classic upward driving riff and melodic lead playing while the vocalist theatrically wails, behind which are falsetto vocals utilized in order to achieve the same energy of the early Mercyful Fate material. While there is not much on display that can be said to be anything approximating originality, what it is, at the very least, is both very well done and faithful to the great heritage of traditional metal, capturing, for the most part, the subtlety and nuance of the aforementioned bands in such a way that makes for a listen that doesn’t feel wholly redundant.

In Solitude’s music takes on a very theatric and narrative quality in that each song is treated as a performance, almost akin to a play, in which a story is being related, and the song responds to the storyline accordingly. Not that this is a concept album by any means; perhaps a thematic album. Nonetheless, the King Diamond tendency to derive musical ideas from the lyrical, or vice versa, so that they are complimentary, is an evident trait in their sound. The varying vocal approaches incorporated into “Witches Sabbath” are a demonstration of this relationship, as the falsettos return for the chorus and a sinister, low register is employed for the demonstrative command of the bridge, “build now a circle, of fire! And drink from your cups. Hail high the baphomet!” The aforementioned break in “Kathedral” is yet another example, as is “Faceless Mistress,” where the chorus of “nothing but death can stop them tonight, in vicious delight” takes the song into a new mood as the shifting tone of the lyrics takes on an ominous, cautionary mode.

Given that they draw so heavily on Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Mercyful Fate, it is little surprise that In Solitude’s music is peppered with leads and solos and melodies used as a counterpoint to some heavy riff. The lead guitarist is an excellent soloist with a strong feel for appropriately harmonized solos that go well with the music to which it is subservient. Main passages, such as the beginning of “Temple of the Unknown,” are driven by a primary heavy riff, over which is played a corresponding melodic at a higher register which allows that main fundamental to reflect a greater variety of moods as the melody shifts above it. Major musical shifts are often intimated by some lead playing acting as a bridge from one movement to the next. They utilize the layering of varying guitar sounds very effectively, successfully capturing, at least in essence, the attention to detail in the melodic writing of Tipton/Downing, Murray/Smith, and Shermann/Denner that were so integral to the sound of these foundational institutions.

What is interesting about this band is that, while their music is very melodic, laced with Iron Maiden inspired harmonies throughout, it is also very dark, influenced obviously by Mercyful Fate, but also perhaps enlightened by extreme metal, not perhaps in sound, but in essence, as In Solitude shares members with the death metal band Invidious, formerly known as Katalysator. Indeed, the bands even share a vocalist. Nonetheless, this is pure heavy metal, though the bands’ affinity for extreme metal perhaps fuels the their interest in dark, occult subject matter, which makes Mercyful Fate’s Satanic lyrics even more appealing. Similarly to Portrait, who describe their sound as “heavy metal darkness,” this new breed of heavy metal bands tends to be more attracted to the dark, evil, occult aspects of the genre, and one wonders how much this relates to the later developments in extreme metal.

Lyrics in metal as a whole are much darker and evil than they were when Mercyful Fate first came out and their over the top theatrics were lambasted by such stalwarts as the brilliant minds who ran Kerrang! in the early 80s. In Solitude is in this context hardly extreme, and not nearly on the cutting edge of anything, but are in fact treading water in the vast ocean of those who came decades before them. For those who feel there is no place for such bands, In Solitude is certainly not going to offer any surprises. On the other hand, there are those who find value in such bands that, while not being ‘retro’ in terms of a trend mentality, are nonetheless centrally derived from what has been the foundation of this style of music for three decades; for these people, there is little to be found that can match the quality of this band. Besides, whether it’s 2008 or 1988, heavy metal of this style was still derivative; it is not as though proximity on a timeline corresponds to compositional quality, and In Solitude seems to have it down better than many bands of similar caliber who are two decades their senior.