Not metal-disclaimer: This is not a metal album, thus, it falls out of the category this critic normally deals with. That said, I do listen to almost everything besides metal, and I like a challenge.

Solitude 24/7 is a confusing and absurd work of rock. It is also quite good, although one really needs to break down some subcultural borders, in order to appreciate this full scale attack on good musical manners. Which, in my humble opinion is healthy, especially within the metal community! So, what makes this album stand out as strange and interesting? The whole damn thing does. This is very innovative stuff, but delivered smoothly and tenderly, with a soft rock approach, that won’t appeal to many metalheads, I’m afraid. On a basis of this modern rock (changing between rough and gentle all the time) is build a piece of art, consisting of many layers. These layers include, but aren’t restricted to emo-rock, Irish ballad, glam rock, oldschool heavy and 1980’s synth-pop. It sounds crazy, and it is, but it blends extremely well, which can only mean one thing: Stigma knows very well what they’re doing!

Technically, you wont find many mistakes. The instrumentation is marvelously acute and accurate, though the sound production lacks a little behind – it must be hard to get all those sounds right. All those sounds? We’re talking the standard rock/metal line-up of guitar, bass, drums and vocal, sure, but elaborately decorated with organs, acoustic strings, synths and even flutes. This should label Solitude 24/7 as folk rock, but it isn’t. Stigma seems to fight the put-in-box system of subgenres vigorously. Applause! 

Even the vocals is diverse as can be, with examples ranging from pissed-off growls, over annoying, but weirdly well-suited whining, to “normal” singing – that sounds like Scott Stapp from Creed. And some choir-pieces, just for good measure!

And why stop there? Stigma also uses sound samples, though on a very limited scale. The few samples make it up, by being tremendously effective – they build up the story of Solitude 24/7, making it a reverie, dreamed in the twilight zone between sleep and awareness, imagination and reality – a concept that suits the music, the feeling of Stigma.

As said in the beginning: It’s confusing and absurd. But its an eye-opener for everyone interested in broadening their horizon, but unable to afford drugs.