Soul Dissolution – Pale Distant Light

Soul Dissolution is, in all its simplicity, a Belgian take on the very melancholic and sometimes even depressive version of Black Metal, that has risen to prominence more and more over the years. The band themselves claim inspiration from such sources as Agalloch, Alcest and Drudkh, just to name a few of the most famous bands.

As far as members go, Soul Dissolution is a duo, with one musician handling the instruments and the other taking care of the vocal aspect. And while I will admit to them both doing a good job, I would like to address the relative simplicity of the music (note; I said simple, not bad): One instrument is brought to the forefront and stands in attention (often either the guitar or the vocals), while the remaining instruments serve as more of a backdrop when used in this manner. This gives the above-mentioned simple feel, helping us as an audience to put our attention at one location at any given time.

It also allows the music to be played at a much slower pace than is often the case in Black Metal fans – And this does wonders when used to portray powerfully emotional pieces as is the case throughout Pale Distant Light. And while I do not claim that Soul Dissolution is a downright Atmospheric or downright Depressive Black Metal act, they have without a doubt drawn a lot of inspiration from those that are or could be considered such (I refer to their influences, as written earlier).

At the moment, Soul Dissolution pales in comparison to their predecessors – Due in large part to the fact that they are a farily new band (formed five years ago, in the year 2012), competing against veritable legends and cult bands. However, they have done what I consider to be the most honourable (and logical) path to creating their music, which is taking in inspiration from their contemporaries, modifying and forming it into their own distinct sound. Soul Dissolution have, in my opinion, succeeded in doing to, thereby making their debut album (Pale Distant Light) a noteworthy one. They are reminiscient of, but still clearly different from, many other bands both within their sub-genre and on the Black Metal scene as a whole. I especially like how well their minimalist approach to their musical performance blends together with their lyrical themes of self-doubt and depression.

In the long run I do believe that Soul Dissolution will be able to gain significant momentum during the course of their career. They are akin to, but still adequately different from, other known acts out there and they have managed to keep a sense of coherency as an essential part of it. I for one will be listening to ”Waiting” several more times over the remaining year. And that is only one of the ten tracks that make up the fifty-odd minutes of musical composition.

Recommended for fans of Trautonist and Drudkh.

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