Album Review: Soliloquium – Contemplations (Transcending Records)

Out on June 1st 2018, Contemplations is the brand new album from the three-piece melodic doom/death metal band, Soliloquium from Stockholm, Sweden featuring members of Desolator and Ending Quest.

Melodic doom/death metal, Soliloquium cover some big bases with the eight tracks of Contemplations. Opener Chains shows this with a soft guitar melody that dissolves into a meatier doom style rhythm before the throaty and thrilling death-heavy vocals slap everything together nicely.

Don’t relax just yet though as suddenly the pace increases and the song really comes to life. This same injection comes near the end of the 8+ track keeping things sounding fresh and exciting.

A breathless start, Catharsis softens things briefly with sweet sounding acoustic melody and folk-ish singing before deciding to unleash destruction with raging torrents of savagery. It’s followed by even more mellow guitars on Streetlights and doomy metal hardness from Unfulfilling Prophecy.

Sounding more like a band with 10 albums in their past, it’s amazing that this is only Soliloquium’s 2nd. It’s rich sounding, exhausting but every bit as thrilling as you could hope it to be. It’s an incredible effort to be able to not just hold the listeners attention but to keep them in rapt awe.

22 is the most melodic track on the album & is simply stunning with its beautiful guitar melody and softly sung vocals. An absolute treat especially as it’s then followed by some of the strongest tracks on the entire album. Listen to For the Accursed and tell me this isn’t one of the best releases this year!

Soliloquium – Contemplations Full Track Listing:

1. Chains
2. Catharsis
3. Streetlights
4. Unfulfilling Prophecy
5. 22
6. For the Accursed
7. In Affect
8. Wanderlust

You can order the album via Transcending Records and via Bandcamp. Find out more/keep up to date with news by checking out the band’s website and Facebook Page.