SOLILOQUIUM is a death/doom band from Sweden and they formed in 2011. Stefan Nordstrom is the main driving force behind the band and "Soulsearching" is his fourth full length album under the banner. Although the band is definitely doom and has obvious elements of death, calling SOLILOQUIUM strictly  death doom doesn't reveal the full scope of the band—and it certainly doesn't tell how much the band has grown over the years.

"Soulsearching," is an in depth album filled with variety and continues the band on their journey of emotional doom. I reviewed their previous two albums and the profession across all three is impressive and damn near staggering. Prog, post, and even black metal can be found across this album's seven tracks and 50 minute run time.  It is a testament to Stefan's song writing and compositional skills that he has retained the band's core sound of doom while also widening his path to include all these other soundscapes.

I mean, there are songs on this album that, if I didn't know the band, and were played for me I would have no idea it is the same band. How's that for variety? But I am a fan of Stefan's work. So for me, I can feel how much heart and soul has gone into this work. Even with some of the album's stark differences to itself, each song has a warm familiarity to it. Each song has its own identity yet each one fits in firmly in its place on the album.

"Floodgates," which features the vocals of Oddleif Stensland, opens the album. This is a banger of a track and was the right choice to introduce the album. It begins laden with clean, melodic tones but soon becomes an audible assault on the senses. The blanket of keys that settle over the song are the perfect backdrop for the black metal underneath. Clean vocals are peppered through the song—I get huge BORKNAGAR vibes as the song carries that similar idea that metal can be forward thinking but vicious.

"Stillwater" is another hard hitting song, opening up immediately with a big riff and low growls. Around the 2:34 mark, clean tones mix with the slow, distortion of doom. The riffs fade away to a wonderful clean section that is joined by more intricate and melancholic riffs. "Stillwater" reveals the core beauty of the album: combining doom with other elements to create songs that are dark and heavy yet emotional and engaging.  The middle portion of the song hammers around riffs and powerful screams until bass and layered clean guitar create a light but dense sound before all hell breaks loose with killer riffs, tight drumming and brutal growls.

"The Silent Epidemic," is a killer track with so much happening within. As it moves along with expert flow, it switches between heavier moments but lighter ones as well. It shows two sides of the album while doing a fine of mixing them together without the sound being too jumbled. The parts where Henrik Ekholm sings remind me of KATATONIA. His gentle yet clear vocals fit in nicely with the songs many layers. From 5:30 to the end is where the song really shines. Everything comes together in these few precious minutes: the melodic guitar and clean vocals building towards a darker landscape with the growls and an epic guitar solo.

If the album has a so called ballad then "Missing Pieces" would be it. Simply put, this song is beautiful in ways I can't really describe. WOLVERINE's Stefan Zell handles the vocals—his soothing but powerful voice is beyond emotional and the weight he carries through the song is massive. He sings his ass off especially near the end when he holds out those clean notes. Musically, the song carries a huge post metal/rock structure Intertwined with better sweet melodies. The music gets heavier and more intense as it goes along but not overly—it is right along Stefan's crooning and the two go together perfectly.

"Diaspore," is one of the more slower paced and melancholic tracks on the album. But it also layered with a lot of little nook and crannies that drip depressive harmonies and melodies that fit into the overall fabric of the songs. Thus, "Diaspore" feels like one epic entity that sort of glides along effortlessly. Those who dig prog and modern day KATATONIA will find much to enjoy here. The last two tracks are, in my humble opinion, the two best songs Stefan has composed with  SOLILOQUIUM. "Finality," has that feeling of everything ending, all of life's frustrations and moments coming together in a dirge of surreal mental battle. The energy is urgent and palpable. The undercurrent of heavy guitars pushes everything perpetually forward to a fast section of rapid guitars and blazing drums. The death growls are ferocious, adding that deadly touch to the atmospheric pressure. The last few minutes are dense, every element of the song swirling together in a doom opera of gargantuan proportions.

The album ends with its namesake "Soulsearching," and it is a doom. That main line of melodies radiating from the guitars and bass puts the song on a whole new level. The growls are a contrast yet go together with it all perfectly. Before the mid section, a rousing cascade of guitars drums and growls hits like a ton of bricks. It opens the way for the beautiful passage that follows. Laden with atmospheric drumming, ridiculously good cleans and deep growls, the whole movement nearly brought a tear into my eyes. The soul. Does it exist? Are we more than we think we are? And if souls don't exist then its up to ourselves right? To look inside and find our own power within?

I don't know what the meaning of the song is to Stefan but those thoughts are what it means to me. Powerful stuff. This is by far the best SOLILOQUIUM album yet and it feels like Stefan has really found the sound he has been going for.  "Soulsearching" one hell of a doom metal album that isn't afraid to stretch its wings.