Soliloquium - Famine

Soliloquium is a doom metal band from Sweden, who formed in 201; it consists of two members, Jonas Bergkvist (bass) and Stefan Nordström (everything else, except drums). Both of these musicians are also from the death metal Desolator (also very good) and “Famine” is their fifth full-length album under the Soliloquium banner; they have also released a demo, two EPs, and a compilation. 

I discovered this band way back in 2018 with their second full-length album, “Contemplations,” and have been a fan ever since.  On a personal level, that one still remains my favorite but make no mistake:  Solioquium gets better with each release and “Famine” once again propels them forward.  It really wasn’t that long ago that I found them but with the way the world is…it certainly feels like a lifetime.  But when great bands like Solioquium are there with you every step of the way, it makes things more bearable.  Thank you, guys.  Music has a lot of power and the band really seems to understand that. 

What has always impressed me about the band, and will always, is the fact they can stay true to their doom roots yet always find a way to add in new dimensions to their sound.  None of their albums sound anything alike yet it’s still firmly doom.  

From my understanding, this album was born out of the frustration of the plague years of 2020-2021.  Humanity has certainly been on a downward spiral since then but this isn’t the album that previous effort,

“Soulsearching” was.  In Stefan’s own words from his website, “he multi-faceted hope and reflection of “Soulsearching” is completely gone on this album. Just for these 50 minutes, I’m looking backwards instead of gazing into the sun ahead. If you’re looking for dreamy shoegaze sections or “what ifs”, this is not the Soliloquium album.”

I’d say that is pretty damn accurate.  It’s certainly a darker and heavier album, many times rivaling the sounds on their first two albums, in terms of pure melancholic density and dim, if any, hope.  It’s more riff structured too, which will get zero complaints from me.  Bring it on!  

But with that being said, it’s just as dynamic in many ways as anything they have done.  Stefan’s vocals continue to get better, both cleans and growls.  I love his growls and scream—so deep, menacing, and hold an icy grip on the hammer of doom. 

Likewise, I love his cleans.  His singing voice is unique—no one really sounds like him and with every album, he pushes himself to the next level.  But it’s not all about his vocals; the instrumentation only grows in depth.  Both musicians continue to better align light and heavy elements and this album has the most focused, and smoothest, transitions between styles yet. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Soliloquium album without help from friends and/or session musicians!  Xinês’ returns from Soulsearching to once again supply his robust, hefty drums.  Much of the album’s more weighty moments can be attributed to his sterling performances.  Alongside Jonas, he builds quite the rhythmic powerhouse.

Other guest include Josep Brunet (Helevorn vocalist, whose band also released a banger last year), Chelsea Murphy (Dawn of Ouroboros),  Jari Lindholm (Enshine, Exgenesis, Slumber and mixed/mastered this album),  Bianca Höllmüller (Piano, Keys on track 3),  and both Henrik Ekholm (Hadriel) and Enas al-Said providing additional/backing vocals.  

That’s a lot of people but they add a lot of extra details to the music, some subtle and some not so subtle, that go a long way in helping to bring the band’s vision for the album to life.  Including all these guests into their songs can’t be easy but they pull it off amazingly.

The album opens with “Famine,” and it gives a fantastic overview of the overall album’s direction so it makes for a great introduction for both the album and any new fans to the band as well.  Clean instrumentation and vocals start it off before caustic tones of distortion begin to creep, pushed to the forefront by perfectly placed drumming. 

The death growls have the perfect amount of echo on them and the high screams add just the right amount of abrasiveness to the song, without overdoing it.  The layering of cleans and growls is slick as hell, a harrowing display of dynamics.  After the halfway mark, the song returns to a clean groove briefly, its presence making the devastating riffs that arrive after all the more potent.  

“The Healing Process,” could be considered the quiet/ballad song on the album but calling it that would over simplify it and be a disservice.  It’s less of a ballad and more of a melancholic tapestry that is, in its own way, as dense and potent as the album's heavier elements.  Stefan’s cleans get a chance to shine here—he sounds fantastic and pairs very well with the other styles from the guest musicians.  Around the halfway mark, emotional lead guitar kicks off the song into heavier waters but the song retains its somber almost gentle touch of doom.

“Själamörker,” marks what is essentially the halfway point of the album and everything is still firing all cylinders.  I like the clean guitar on this one, just intricate enough.  Stefan’s cleans are somber yet clear and powerful as the song transitions into death/doom.  Utterly mesmerizing performances with the growls.  The guitars have a unique melodic flavor to them too and I found myself mesmerized by them as well. Some black metal elements, with the fast drums and high screams, make an appearance just after the halfway mark.  At this point, this song is unstoppable.  In my opinion, this is one of the best songs the band has ever done.

“Imposter Syndrome,” has become another one of my favorite songs from the band.  It’s so aggressive yet layered with melody and atmosphere.  It’s a stark combination of many of the band’s elements and yet another fine representation of them.  The final half is urgent, something along the lines of melodic death metal but around the 4:44 mark a huge melodic riff really grabs me and pushes the song to another level.  Stefan’s extreme vocals are destructive and this has to be one of his best performances. 

The final song, “Vigil,” is yet another one that is going to go down as a personal favorite.  This is the song with Helevorn’s Josep too…he and Stefan make wonderful music together.  The song has heavy moments but all the vocals are clean—each musician sings their heart out—goosebump performances.  

There is a bonus song as well, called “Porcelain.”  I don’t know if it's on all versions but my promo copy had it.  It’s a beautiful song with cleans from who I assume is Chelsea and is a very good, gentle song that tugs on the heartstrings.  If you have to spend a little extra to get the bonus song, it is worth it. 

Soliloquium’s “Famine,” is further proof that a band can stretch the boundaries of their sound without losing their identity that made them so special to begin with.  I know it’s early in the year but I’d be surprised if another album, doom or otherwise, was released anytime soon that offered the dynamics and variety this one does while still being so smooth and cohesive.  

Rating:  Excellent