On the back of their successful Sister album, Swedish rockers In Solitude can plausibly claim to be the latest in the long line of heirs to the blackened and creaking throne of Black Sabbath.
First up though Beastmilk offer a lesson in versatility, taking elements from new-wave, metal and horror-punk to build an infectious blend of sheet metal riffs and arch gothic crooning.
The vocals may owe more than a debt to Glenn Danzig but the self-effacing Finns are smart songwriters, mining just the right amount of silliness from their tales of post-apocalyptic death and devastation.
A song like ‘Genocidal Crush’ could comfortably sit on an album by Depeche Mode or The Cure, were it stripped of its metallic sheen.
The band play with a lot of energy, especially on a fevered ‘You Are Now Under Control’ and a particularly brilliant ‘Surfing the Apocalypse’ which throws in a chorus of The Beach Boys ‘Surfin Safari’.
With their swaggering attitude, leather jackets and skinny jeans and fascination with the sounds of 1975, it is tempting to see the youthful In Solitude as metal’s answer to the Strokes.
It’s hard to picture the notoriously lethargic Strokes putting in a performance with a tenth as much energy as In Solitude however.
Heralding their arrival, incense sticks are lit and bouquets of lavender are placed on the drum kit, evocative chanting and creepy fairground sound effects play over the PA and the band stride on stage to take their instruments.
The five-piece play with the seasoned chops of old-pros as they demolish a set that draws heavily from the afore-mentioned Sister, with a volume and intensity that is difficult to match.
Pelle Ahman’s vocals tend to get a little lost in the mix but there’s an admirable directness to the band’s playing, heavy breakdowns trigger a mass of swishing hair in the crowd while guitar solos focus more on melodic phrases than shredding.
Leaping from the floor to the monitors Ahman is a natural frontman, enlivening a genre in which frontmen often spend too long aping the elder stateman, and despite a few minor gripes with his vocals in the mix the set is both invigoratingly heavy and technically competent.
Check out the young Swedes if you like your rock and roll loud, dramatic and heavy.
Words: Max Sefton
