Review by Felix on July 17, 2024.

I have a somewhat stupid habit. I never remove the blatant advertising stickers from the CDs. Therefore, I can still tell you what the one on Solitude’s full-length from 2013 promised in fat letters: The next big thing! A few years later, we knew that the sticker was wrong. The lack of stamina makes every “big thing” pretty soon pretty small. But that’s not all. The album itself, “The World, the Flesh, the Devil” is okay, but you cannot derive the next sensation from it.

Those of you who are listening to Portrait’s “The Host” these days can imagine the approach of “The World…”. It is very similar to that of Portrait, but the clean vocals do not cruise through the highest tones restlessly. Lead vocalist Hornper sings with a very natural voice, he manages all challenges and does not lack charisma. His performance is accompanied by a precisely playing instrumental section. The songs have a smooth flow while their level of heaviness is not very exciting. Okay, the influences of the band are obvious. Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate and the NWOBHM, here the sticker does not promise too much for once. Unfortunately, there is only a comparatively small dose of Mercyful Fate to find. Only the timbre of Hornper reminds us of the non-falsetto voice of the King from time to time, especially in “To Her Darkness”, a song title that would be a very suitable one on any output from Mr. Diamond as well. But the music is definitely more Maiden-affine. Some guitar parts of the opener seem to be stolen from the cellar of Steve Harris’ luxury villa. From this follows that the album appears slightly toothless (something that cannot be said about Portrait’s releases).

Another difference to the spiritual brothers of Portrait is that the songs lack depth to a certain extent. There are nearly no dramatic sequences, no sections that draw the listener immediately into the respective song and almost no sequences which create an ominous atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a proper quantum of substance, but the extra thrill is missing. A lot of mid-tempo parts create more uniformity than they should and outstanding lines remain a rare asset. As a result, it is not easy for me to point out highlights. Of course, there is no obvious filler as well. Anyway, some of the songs on the first seven positions are simply a minute or two too long. In Solitude fail to come to the point in an adequate time.

In terms of the production, the band shows the typical Swedish professionalism. The album shines with that kind of mix one can expect when it comes to the second album of a pretty successful formation. Even the bass has not been completely forgotten, although it plays a rather minor part in the overall picture. Anyway, the sound is convincing – but what about the magnum opus “On Burning Paths” with a length of nearly 14 minutes? Well, it is a surprisingly unpretentious track. To say it is “just longer” than the other songs sounds negative and this is not fair, because it is a good piece with swift, somewhat airy lines and despite its length without a gram of fat. Moreover, it avoids a kitschy, stereotyped arrangement. Okay, it cannot push the album on a higher level than before, but it shows that In Solitude were able to pen such a song without falling victim to repetition or boredom. All in all, one can listen to this output from time to time, but unlike the sticker, I cannot provide a description that expresses my enthusiasm for this music.

Rating: 6.8 out of 10