I AM SOLITUDE is a band formed in 2018 that released their first album independently on August 15, 2020. With a definite Gothic/Symphonic feel to them, they incorporate complex arrangements with both clean and guttural vocals. Bringing experience from previous bands, the individual members have come together and formed a fairly tight-knit group on their first issue.

Starting from "Tempest Of Life", I AM SOLITUDE set a tone and pace for their music. Beginning with a piano intro, then bringing in the strings, there is a melancholy to the sound. The clean (female) vocals are calm and level, no real wailing and no serious drops in tone. The song is almost half over when the rest of the instrumentation joins the party. As they should in the fade out of this song, everything fades away and the piano takes us to the end.

"Spontaneous Combustion" and "I Am Solitude" follow much the same path; piano intro, clean vocals, mid-tempo song with a very Gothic feel. There is not a progressive rock/metal feel like you get with some symphonic bands. This is just straight-forward rock type music. It is not very heavy for the most part, though they can turn the metal on when they want to. The guitar work around the solo for "Rising Force" is one of the examples of this.

"Awakening" is another song with a heavier tone, then "Sweet Home Apocalypse" comes in and really kicks things up a notch. Using more of the gutturals, this is the heaviest song on the record and does show that I AM SOLITUDE has what it takes to go full metal. With blast beats and a much darker tone, this is the band at their most brutal. With the clean vocals soaring in and the rhythm running at a pace not yet seen on this record, this is the song that establishes them as a driving force in the genre.

"Living In The Past" is the only instrumental on the record and it goes back to the more melancholy rock style. But "My Dark Sadness" brings the Gothic metal back to the front. More gutturals and doom-laden guitars take this song back to the second sound I AM SOLITUDE favors. Wrapping up the record is "La Nausea", a gentle tune, sung in Spanish. It is the orchestral song that is best to finish out this record.

I AM SOLITUDE reminds me of early NIGHTWISH. NIGHTWISH started as more of a folk type band, then grew into what it is now. I would expect much the same from I AM SOLITUDE. They have a good sound and the music is good. It is calm and soothing for the most part, except when they go full out. Whether I AM SOLITUDE tries to expand their sound and enlarge the compositions remains to be seen. They may not even want that, which is okay. They have a good tone.

Probably the biggest drawback to this album is the production quality. It is good, but not top level. I think with a little experience and practice, this band will become everything they want to be. They have a good base built up and I really think they will be able to fine tune their sound and get the production quality up to where a band of this talent needs. This is a solid offering and is worth a listen.