Soliloquium - Upheaval

Soliloquium is a doom metal band from Stockholm, Sweden who formed in 2011, and is the brainchild of musician Stefan Nordström (Ashes of Life, The Ashen Tree, Ending Quest, Desolator, Trees of Daymare).  Their latest release, “Upheaval,” is the sixth full-length album; a demo, two EPs and a compilation have also been released.

I discovered Soliloquium back in 2918 when I reviewed their second full-length album “Contemplations,” for Metal Temple.  I was immediately hooked by their brand of emotional doom metal, which is quite dynamic and hits a variety of styles.  I’ve followed them since and the quality always remains high.  With that being said, I am confident in proclaiming “Upheaval,” to be the best album since “Contemplations.” 

Despite the band’s core sound belonging to doom, they don’t languish in tired repetition or long drawn on compositions that go nowhere.  The album itself starts immediately with the riffs of the opening song “Tightrope.”  Personally, I think the riffs on this song are among the best Stefan has written.    There is a certain venom and aggression on this song, and the album as a whole, that wasn’t quite as strongly represented on the last few albums but it’s definitely back on this one.  I wouldn’t say the album sounds angry but it’s definitely borne out of frustration, both from personal struggles and the world itself. 

That’s why I like this album so much—it’s pretty potent for the times we live in.  Of course, everyone is going to hear music differently so I can only speak for myself but I found this album to be therapeutic in a way.  It’s a very human album that I think will speak to a lot of people and will result in different interpretations.  

How could it not?  This music has true depth.  It isn’t angry for the hell of it nor is it doom and gloom because that’s what is expected of it—the music on the album’s 7 song, 45 minute runtime has a natural presence.  Perhaps Stefan went to a dark place to get this album out or perhaps he was even able to get some comfort in the writing and digestion of the songs?  I just know that for me, these songs really work with a great flow from the first note to the last.

The vocals, both the extremes and the cleans are quite impressive.  “Contrarians,” begins with his cleans and they are unique—no one really sounds like Stefan and his voice is well suited to thrive in the details.   His growls are balanced perfectly in the mix without overpowering those details while still sounding absolutely massive.   He especially thrives when the drums give it their all, performed by Xinês to a brutally fine degree. Together, such as in the middle part of this song, it takes the band’s sound to a new level.  

I like how he chooses where and when to use his cleans too.  As evident by the title song, this isn’t an album that is simply “growled verse, clean chorus, rinse and repeat.”  This song in particular has a wonderful build up, the time well spent on embers becoming a roaring fire.  The guitars are beautiful, showing off the band’s prog elements.  Stefan’s cleans dance through the clean notes, but Henrik Ekholm’s bass keeps it grounded enough where the distortion coming in transitions smoothly.  I like the vocal harmonies at the halfway point–feels just proggy enough.  The high screams afterwards keep the emotion going, as potent as the cleans.

The album’s musicianship is really sharp, but it isn’t flashy, which is great because so many bands do this needlessly.  Stefan’s ability to sometimes go simple to make things deep is a lot of what makes up the fabric of the album, such as the simple clean tones and galloping riffs of “Livsöden.”    The clean passage in the middle is a highlight, and it’s capped on both ends by death growls and heavier music—again, this band is super adept at combining light and dark elements that doesn’t seem like a robotic flicking of the switch.  

“Family Ties,” begins with an almost rock and roll feel as the drums and bass march the notes through an intense vocal passage and music that sounds like what storm clouds would sing, if they could.  Though it’s slow to mid-paced, there is a certain urgency to the song, in no small part to the drums.  The folk-ish ending in the last 46 seconds is a nice surprise as well.  

Honestly, my two favorites on the album are the last two songs, “Time Stands Still,” and “Centralia,” because I feel they really nail down the atmosphere of the album and are prime examples of Soliloquium’s overall style.  The former is very atmospheric in the way it balances extreme elements with the cleans.  It sounds fresh and exciting all the way through and hits all the sweet spots of the album’s ambitions.  The latter is the longest song on the album with a lot of well-written parts.  The drum intro is clever, and the suffocating riffs and vocals hit as a massive wall of sound.  Around the 1:25 mark, the song opens up with more riffs that can be counted among their best.  Throw in a melodic passage led by the bass and we have what has become one of my favorite songs by the band. 

Soliloquium continues to be a band that grows from release to release, able to have a defining sound by still keeping it fresh from moment to moment.  “Upheaval,” exemplifies this to a high degree by making melancholic metal that rides on emotional waves that bring with it many quality moments across a spectrum that isn’t afraid to heartfelt.  

Rating: Excellent