Five_Nails, November 3rd, 2018 
Written based on this version: 2014, Digital, Independent (Bandcamp)

With another sweet and seemly soundtrack to a suicide, Soul Dissolution manifests melancholy across a tapestry in grey to begin a discography worthy of a full and hearty analysis. Heaving breaths of airy guitars maintain a layer of incredulity in its swelling sound, attempting to brave through beauty an undeniably mournful music. Gorgeous tones open “Smell of Freedom” and find an even more lamentatious lilt in “This Red Painting in the Sky”, however there are times that the band has trouble sustaining its sound while going from a heartbreaking crumpling of a chest to a relentless recycling in need of variation. 

Luckily, this Belgian duo knows where its hits lie and “This Red Painting in the Sky” is where the band finds the right resonance to represent its solemn tone. Flying guitar scrambles the top while melodic notes and flowing synth climb the crumbling walls eroded by tears. Where “Smell of Freedom” is a frantic build and breakout from a prison of anguish that then becomes a draining droning drag of dissipating guitar as it dissolves and decays, “This Red Painting in the Sky” is enhanced by its solemn guitars and dreamlike tone. Exhaustive and delirious, it flows over a scorched wasteland and intuitively explores a wasted landscape. Drums comfortably roll through the billowing treble textures as though a relentless blinding sun blisters through a thin atmosphere occupied only by whispers of wind. Even without relief, the palpable beauty makes a heart melt without damning this desert's dust. With laborious dragged out vocals from Acharan, shining tones applied by curling synth, and sharp shoegazing guitars that exude exasperated sighs rather than ripping riffs, “This Red Painting in the Sky” is Soul Dissolution's heart beating on a string and its quiet desperation becomes one with an autumnal air in spite of its dire heat.

As “Waves” rise and fall, buffeted by double bass, treble creates ocean sprays of grain and becomes a driving almost fist-pumping tear. Lamentatious songs like these are great at driving half a melody off a cliff to fall into despair, and this is seen in the defiant crest of this song before it comes curling and crashing down with such a basic and brutally unflinching rhythm that it converts anguish into action. As a first demo, Soul Dissolution has already impressed with its polished sound and the precision brought by Jabawock to maintain such an imposing atmosphere. As the main mind behind the band's direction, his sound is cohesive and comprehensive, bringing each lamentatious lilt across like a tide of despair, but in these lengthy songs are a constant eye of decay where, even desperately fighting against the entropy that is a universe coming into being, “The Final Dissolution – Part 1” slices through atmosphere like a knife through veins in futile attempts to deprive existence itself of the satisfaction of overtaking it by attrition.

Through a half hour showcase, this well-produced demo brings good variation as it dissolves between such standouts as “This Red Painting in the Sky”, “Waves”, and “The Final Dissolution Part - 1”. Bringing more punch to its atmosphere makes this twosome's similarities to Alcest abound with airs of Agalloch and the many structures on which such sound had been keenly strung by 2014. In need of more moments to make memorable such long and laborious paces, each song tends to drag a bit and seems to revel in the despair rather than lament such a distress, but these languishing lingerings only serve to enhance the pale imprisonment in which such sonorous style seems stuck. The loss of hope throughout 'Cold Rays and Grey Waves' becomes all-encompassing as a hint of 'The Grey' comes through in this band's own “(dissolution)” ensuring a fitting end to an experiment that could evaporate as readily as its reverberation.

EyesOfGlass, August 1st, 2014 

Soul Dissolution is a recent black metal project hailing from Belgium, which has just released their first demo ever, and is planning to release a full-length by 2015. I have to say that I’m not the most black metal guy that you will ever find, as I’m very selective with the bands I listen to due to reasons that nothing have to do with the purpose of this review. However, once in a while, I stumble upon a band that succeeds in catching my ears attention, and that’s exactly what happened to me with this little demo.

This is a truly beautiful demo, there’s no doubt about it. The melodic style of black metal practiced by this two Belgians is elegant in all fronts. The guitars, together with Acharan’s voice, are the driving-factor behind these compositions, which manage to express countless feelings and sensations. The guitar patterns and melodies are well done and the songs build up interestingly, carrying an immense feeling of melancholy with them. These songs, at the same time that they sound sad and desolate, maintain a sort of inspirational vibe on determined parts, resulting in an enchanting contrast throughout the entire demo. Since the very beginning of ''Smell of Freedom'' with its acoustic intro, which slowly builds up until the band unleashes its black metal fury, you know that you’re in for a ride; and towards the end of the song there’s possibly the best example of my previous point. At around four minutes in, they slow down, and the outro slowly begins to take form, building a majestic piece of music with a simple, yet so emotionally-charged riff that closes the song. Indeed my favorite song out of these four.

The song structures are well thought out as well. All the songs included on this demo portray a different atmosphere and possess a different instrumental structure, instead of being constant mindless blasting, something that a lot of bands are very prone to do. There are slow and more mid-paced approaches as well as others clearly rooted in the most classic black metal but with the personal touch of Soul Dissolution. Songs like ''This Red Painting the Sky'' show the slower and most tranquil side of the band, whereas others like ''Smell of Freedom'' or ''The Final Dissolution (Part I)'' are representatives of black metal’s fury. There’s also an inclusion of keyboards which add a nice touch to the music. The keyboard touches on songs like ''Waves'' are few and consist of little notes spread throughout the entire song, yet they manage to create an even more enthralling and haunting atmosphere for the eight-minute ride.

And so I arrive to Acharan, Soul Dissolution’s vocalist. Acharan’s saddened voice really succeeds at portraying and transmitting to the listener the most bleak feelings and sensations that can come to mind. His voice has a sort of echoing effect, making it sound like he’s screaming far, far away and we are hearing his cries from the distance, which together with his heartrending vocal tone, builds up the other part of the atmosphere of the demo. I liked hearing him scream ''Take me dooooown!'' towards the end of ''The Final Dissolution (Part I)''; or the chorus lines on ''Waves'', where he recites ''These tiny waves, they are killing me, slowly going nowhere. Breathing in and out, a living body stuck in eternal slumber.'' He also makes use of his clean voice, and we can hear him in the background of ''Waves'', gently reciting a few words towards the end of it.

The band itself is pretty consistent, considering that they’re only two musicians. The production is excellent and every instrument can be clearly heard and appreciated. This demo in particular, used programmed drums, and while I’m not a fan of programmed drums, I must say that they are well done. They sound quite fresh, and even though you can notice that they’re artificial, they don’t affect the listening experience that Cold Rays and Grey Waves is in any way. 

Cold Rays and Grey Waves is a haunting piece of black metal handled by Soul Dissolution. The key of this release, as with many others, lies on the ''how'', rather than on the ''what'': This is nothing new, and there are countless of artists doing the same, but Soul Dissolution excels at this, and this demo here is proof of it. I honestly find myself more attracted to this kind of black metal rather than the blasting fest and Satan worshiping that some other bands are so attached to. I’m really looking forward for a full-length release and I want to see what they can come up with, and hopefully they will get a real drummer. First step in the right direction.

Originally submitted to http://theforlornson.wordpress.com/

TempleofDarknessReviews, July 24th, 2014 

Soul Dissolution is a 3 man black metal band based in Belgium. Being influenced by bands such as Alcest and Drudkh, they play a brand of melancholic black metal that is unbelievably good! Drawing inspirations from their inner struggles, the music has a very emotional feel to it throughout the 30 minute demo. The members were very connected to their music and every song has an extremely personal feel to it. Recorded at Celestial Event Studios, the band got to utilize a professional studio with great equipment to capture the atmosphere and they did just that. 

While the demo does featured programmed drums, it is extremely hard to tell. The samples are very good and it sounds like there is a person behind the kit, not just a machine doing it! Whomever took the time to program them did an exceptional job and they fit extremely well in the mix. They accentuate the power needed in the parts of the demo that need it most and do it just as well as live drums would. 

All other instruments were performed by the member that goes under the alias Jabawok. He is an extremely talented individual who can write some amazing riffs. Songs like “Waves” feature a very melancholic guitar solo and a piano melody in the beginning, bringing out the emotions in the track without saturating it so much that it is hard to listen to. The bass, like in most black metal, is hidden in the back of the music for the longest time. There are a few parts that it comes out and you can hear it clearly and it adds a little touch into the music that you don’t regularly hear in this style of music. 

The vocals in the demo were done by Acharan. The tone of his voice makes it seem like he is suffering through his words and letting his physical emotions pour out into his music. All lyrics were written by Jabawok, but Acharan belts them out like they are his own and puts his all into making them as good as he can make them. They fit the feel of the music perfectly and are not overbearing in any way, which some bands mistakenly do. 

The only bad thing about this whole demo is that it is too short! This has left me wanting more material from Soul Dissolution. I look forward to hearing how they grow off of this amazing start as a band and how their music develops. You can buy this demo from the Russian label CVLMINIS but you better hurry, there are only 50 copies available for the time being!

Five_Nails, November 3rd, 2018 
Written based on this version: 2016, Digital, Throats Productions (Bandcamp)

With a modern air of apathy to parallel the 'Pale Folklore' of yesteryear, Soul Dissolution disseminates depression across a wider breadth in its first full-length album, 'Pale Distant Light', than had previously been explored while still retaining that grey and grizzled outlook on life so readily embraced by bands brimming with artistry and dying of a dearth of ideas. Expressing the impermanence of existence through lilts and lyrics that rise with strength and meekly decay, Jabawock and Acharan continue to trudge the paths of misery with fresh company in session drummer Forge Stone, a backup vocalist in the closing track, and more studio support while linked to the label Throats Productions. Receiving full attention in a more professional setting a year and a half after the demo dropped, the pair is able to finalize what it began in what seems to have become more a jumping off point than a final product. However, even a full compliment won't stop the march of time and the woe it ushers forth as Soul Dissolution simply brings more clarity to its sadness in spite of any intent to push its envelope into a new fold.

What is most notable is that Soul Dissolution has expanded its airy beginnings, easily noticed in “And Every Single Step” with its delicate swinging strings giving a hollow chewy churn and clean vocals fruitlessly trying to overpower a very loud and echoing guitar, as well as in “Anchor” as a beautiful harmonic yelp and eventually cello and violin wailing stab through the churn of rhythm riffing. The rising atmosphere aloft the album fits a long lamentatious Agalloch style riffing, something that aligns with the mastering of Justin Weis in Agalloch's final releases as well as Oak Pantheon's 'From a Whisper'. Maintaining an eye on nature as the mind nurtures self-destruction, this restless sound is always clawing at the patience of a world far longer in the tooth than any human's drama. “Immanence of Unfulfillment” plays off this sound well, allowing a cry to arise from a hum both foresty in its acoustic guitar and celestial in its lofty chorus of strings and keys, making the soloing electric guitar glide through the nearly permanent landscape in a fleeting and dissipating struggle to actualize an apogee that will never come. Like a failed invention, offspring, or idea, the soloing guitar never reaches its full potential and such a notion not only works well in the established theme of Soul Dissolution's art, but may also be more a self-imposed restraint that has become a yoke on the band itself as Jabawok becomes blinded by blue devils.

New to Soul Dissolution is a growth in the punchy and punkish undertow that drags each song deeper into impact with bedrock as blast beats struck by sharp cymbals and lumbering through raps of snare round out songs with a fitting recording. Reprising its role as the most recognizable second track, “This Red Painting in the Sky” maintains its prominent position while “The Final Dissolution – Part 1” receives an elaborate exploration. Its “Hatred Spawned from Longing” wanders through a three part series to reach a drastically different dissolution from the demo and finds a full compliment of flesh to become its own beautiful being within the album. Though seemingly stagnating in structure as it elaborates on the unending woes of the world, the fits of rage come through with a perceptible power that ensures the devastation of bass in a bridge halfway through “The Final Dissolution, Part 1 – Hatred From Longing”. Woe isn't far behind, though, as an acoustic melancholy sees silence spring from such drastic measures and litters “Fields of Stone” with crumbling drum rhythms bringing warmth to a title moment in “Part 3 – Pale Distant Light”. As much as stagnation seemed apparent through the waves of anguish as the album went by, the title track has shown a growth through tribulation toward a new and heartier outlook, one determined and actualized into action, and one that finally sheds the blanket of anguish in favor of finally closing its letter to the world.

Through a far more crisp production that expands the range of synth and makes “Echoes of Dissolution” animate every aspect of a speaker system, vibrating in harmony to the psychedelic humming of “The Black Lake Nidstång”, Soul Dissolution steps away from the airy mix that muddled the impact of bass and accentuated the Alcestuous vision of its sound in order to make for a far better encompassing mix that gives the guitars more crunch between the clasps of treble. With these crunches comes a clarity that was previously unseen, one that is easily spotted when observing from a distance. In this conclusion, Soul Dissolution puts not only a first full-length to bed but also sheds a coil so willing to stagnate in spite of its strengths. Jabawock's execution throughout 'Pale Distant Light' finds beauty in a hollow and colorless world, one where ideas sometimes become bottle-necked in their creativity while languishing along with the lyrics. However, as breadthless as it may be to be enamored with embracing apathy until one is blue in the face, the resolution of animating one's spirit to a final desperate act ensures a motivation to make meaningful a once meandering melancholy.

Five_Nails, November 3rd, 2018 
Written based on this version: 2018, Digital, Independent

Yanking the ear like the gravity of a black hole, spaghettifying stars with light-bending speed and rhythm rather than languishing in moaning measures that cry rivers over their own thoughts, Soul Dissolution comes into its own in its sophomore album and achieves a potential once hinted at in its formative releases. From beauty to disaster, creating nebulae of billowing brilliance, 'Stardust' focuses on a new “Vision”, bringing color to this once greyed and dejected iris with an epic opening akin to a dozen druids chanting over Braveheart's claymore as it cleaves Master Chief from knave to chops. Soon enough the real motivation in 'Stardust' comes through as the magnanimous crush of guitar in “Circle of Torment” immediately sets off a new sound, one enamored with the heat of reverb rather than the emptiness of airy echo, and one that wails forth with a rage tinged with melancholy to make more use out of existence than slowly seeing it fade. Bounce becomes the new sound of the day with welcome variation in drumming to the growing lead that, rather than overstay its welcome before woefully dissipating, rises to the occasion and meets destruction with furrowed brow and clenched fists. Soul Dissolution has finally found the anger to become a coronal mass ejection, burning atmospheres away with this newfound heat, rather than faltering in its rage by tripping over a stepping stone to tumble into solemnity. A “Circle of Torment” is the exact strife necessary to bring about that denial of its depression and it shows Soul Dissolution is still willing to desperately grasp at melancholy, but only after indulging the boiling anger that brings it forth. 

A project primarily penned by Jabawock, the majority of growth needed stimulation through his hands in order to make this next step work, and this growth is readily supported by more studio backing in the form of incredibly clear recordings that make the synths flow and the swaths of guitar range come through in an expansive and immersive atmosphere. With that atmosphere as a consistent focus, the air between each celestial destination, whether a riff, blasting segment, or vocal stanza, has morphed from the hollow self-loathing where it began into an enrapturing embrace of melancholy that retains the cold and tight feel of loss while ensuring a dichotomy is maintained through gorgeous music willing to lash out and cut at the thick walls of sound surrounding them.

Most noticeable about 'Stardust' is that the longer Soul Dissolution stands, the closer it comes to Agalloch as “Circle of Torment” pummels its classical sounding riff rather than crying to the notions ascribed to Alcest. A piano piece in “Mountain Path”, with feet trudging through snow just like “The Lodge”, rides those keys to a new form of 'Pale Folklore' inspired bouncing with the acoustic section of “As Embers Dress the Sky” to start off “The Last Farewell”. For too long I had been hoping to hear a band take off with that Agalloch template, an obvious break but also a great jumping off point for newcomers to make it their own. Here it is and it's none too shabby. Soul Dissolution has finally found the Agalloch sound to drive them out of its Alcestuous 'Fairy Land' of false colors that meet a mind of grey and flourishes with this more nuanced and expansive sound as electric guitars become half violin half horrifying tear and all an achievement.

In contrast to the bands with which Soul Dissolution shares so many similarities, this group loves to blast its way through the majority of its measures. Diving into discordance and nuanced sounds seems an afterthought. This has made for some disappointing moments throughout the band's run up to a full-length, but in this album there seems to be a growing balance between both schools of thought that make 'Stardust' stand far out from the earlier attempts. In the mind of a great musician who was somewhat structurally uninspired, Soul Dissolution seems to be shoring up those flying buttresses in order to create a more solid style to stand on. Swinging cymbals in the title track from Forge Stone show that his addition to the band is not mistaken. While playing with the bottle-necked parts of the first album his drumming was not as impactful but in this album percussion is allowed to cut looser and blast harder in the larger sense. 

Still, with time all things fall to entropy. This is just as true throughout 'Stardust' as, sadly, the return to form becomes an exhausting experience. As Twain so disgustingly put it, with so many sickening syllables slicing each other in merely two words, Soul Dissolution must 'eschew surplusage' and the 'surplusage' in Soul Dissolution is one that refuses to be stripped away in spite of the band's moniker and previous demises.

The longer an album lingers, the less able it is to flourish in this band, and this is just as true in 2018 as it was in 2016 or even in the early days of the band in 2014. With its many steps forward still come the falterings and roadblocks that prevent this album from reaching its full potential. Still, like the relativity of observing time, 'Stardust' is a short album due to its easily grasped ebb and flow, its captivating variations, and the immense amounts of capital presented through which to mentally glide.

Soul Dissolution is one guy exhausting everything he has to make a go of it and it's still, though functional, not working well enough to find the transcendence that it attempts to show in each swath of atmosphere. The band could steal, they showed they're capable of it with plenty of points in 'Stardust', but the band is not willing to commit to such a troublesome path. The fact that Jabawock is willing to forge his own path is admirable. What hurts the band is that there aren't enough cooks in this kitchen to readily put out what could be amazing food for thought. Instead Jabawock seems full of ideas but unable to enterprise them in a way that isn't meandering and impossible to stumble into the self-loathing that such a style is so ready to clench and consider its muse. That is Soul Dissolution's downfall, and still this is no band I will disabuse of its attempt. I very much appreciate what Jabawock is doing, I just wish he would work to invent himself rather than falling on his sword as though that's the only option.