Corroding Soul - Corroding Soul

Corroding Soul is a one-man atmospheric/post- black metal project that formed in 2023 from UK musician David Lovejoy.  His latest release is the project’s self-titled debut; two EPs have also been released.  

This album is REALLY impressive.  It’s incredibly smooth with a  warm sound to it; from beginning to end, this four song, 39 minute piece of music unfurls like a dreamscape.  These adjectives get thrown around a lot but it’s never been more fitting than with this album.  I review a lot of music but it has been a while since an album has truly earned being called 'world building'.  What’s so impressive is how it presents itself: hopeful.  Yes, it has a lot of black metal elements and,  yes, it’s more than heavy enough.  As an extension of its natural roots it’s bleak and forlorn in many places.  But no matter where the music goes, there is an air of hope and optimism among the wreckage.  Things are bad but they can always get better?  Maybe, maybe not but this music will definitely set the mood. 

Each of the songs are like a little mini-album, wholly imaginative and, sometimes, even surprising.  The first thirty seconds of “Shadow” threw me for a loop because I wasn’t even sure if I was listening to a metal album.  The genre is no stranger to clean instrumental obviously but the intro to this song has a different, unique flavor to it.  

The riffs are approximately distorted but they are just one piece of many.  On the rest of song, they lay down their sweltering blanket and let their stack sink in overtop the keys and drums.  It’s a really cool sound because it makes the song sound both extreme and serene at the same time.  The solos are soaring, gripping some of the more hopeful elements using the melancholic black metal base as a jumping board for the ideas that drip off the song structure with apparent ease.   

The middle part of the song is beautiful and had me enthralled to see where it was going to lead.  It took me to a wonderful little harmony set against tight, quick double bass and melodic bass guitar.  Afterwards, it gets so quiet that I thought the song was over but suddenly it explodes back out, with emotional but vicious blackened screams. 

“Tempest,” begins more vibrant by casting sweeping keys while the underbelly of the song embraces the project’s darker elements.  I get a sense of tragedy from the song but not one of finality—of facing difficult times and overcoming them, even if it hurts.  The acoustic centerpiece seems to echo my thoughts.  I just love how gentle the song can be even when it's surrounded by extremity, such as the passage that arrives after the acoustic break. 

The last two songs, “Bound” and “Sapphire,” are the longest on the album.  “Bound” is one of the most black metal oriented songs on the album, at least for the first half.  I love, love, love around the 5 minute mark how well the keys mix with the other instruments, which sets up an expansive mid-section that, in turn, leads to a quiet clarity.  The light grows dim as the songs builds towards a scathing barrage of screams. 

“Sapphire,” opens with a moving bass number–it isn’t often bass gets its time to shine in black metal so this part was a fantastic idea.   Some of the fattest, heaviest parts on the album hit after the minute and a half mark.  There seems to be a little desperation or urgency in the music, specifically reflected by the drums. The vocal performance is great, the rough nature of the screams working wonders with the atmospheric music.  

David has a lot of talent with transitioning the musical style and mood of his songs and it’s on full display here at around the 7 minute mark with minimalistic textures fading in from the black metal.  The guitar solo is bluesy and emotive, the perfect partnership to the keys.  The song slides seamlessly back into heavier waters, sending the song on an abrasive path before it ends with simple but lush tones.

Corroding Soul’s self-titled full-length debut is a mesmerizing album that’s full of as much wonder and exploration as it is corrosive storms.  Its story telling uses light and dark elements to create a world of many dimensions even while presenting itself as a cohesive experience with a lot of detailed layers and textures weaved together with extreme metal.