Why doesn’t Soliloquium play classic Nordic-style melodic death/doom metal anymore, like on the first few releases? Well, that’s something I’m gonna elaborate on. Since many of you enjoyed my rants about extreme metal listening and metal crowd behavior, here’s another one. Please make them stop, right? Sorry, here it starts.
The new and old Soliloquium material
Among more traditionally inclined metalheads, I can definitely notice a leaning towards my older material. Nothing wrong with that, even though I firmly believe the newer material is better, especially in terms of performance and production. But I think the “why?” is interesting to elaborate on, and along the way, it might give you some insights into my creative thinking and processing.
The cold hard numbers (Rateyourmusic albums ratings)
Full-length album average ratings (1-5):
- “An Empty Frame” (2016): 3,29
- “Contemplations” (2018): 3,26
- “Things We Leave Behind” (2020): 3,27
- “Soulsearching” (2022): 3,24
#science from my recent Instagram poll
My favorite album Instagram poll delivered some unexpected results. I totally didn’t expect this, and it seems people really warmed up to “Soulsearching”. Happy to hear that, even though it invalidates some of my thoughts in this article.
Steering clear of melodic death/doom – my train of thought
A poor man’s October Tide, Rapture or Daylight Dies; that’s what I hear when I listen to the early Soliloquium releases, up to and including “Contemplations” (2018). It’s OK for a new band to wear influences on its sleeve, but it does bother me when it comes to Soliloquium. Not so much the style though, rather the fact that my music feels like a second rate version of those bands.
Around the writing of “Things We Leave Behind” (2020), I started developing my own mood and niche. Sure, “The Discarded” is a prime Finnish melodic death/doom metal song, but it’s also colored by my lyricism and increased desire for musical anomaly. I found the desire to do something else on this album, but not quite the tools.
On “Soulsearching” (2022), it conceptually clicked. The songs felt like they were part of a larger whole and carried a deeper connection, no matter heavy or soft. I came away from the album feeling that I told a story, found a mood, and managed to find a unique Soliloquium sound. It was amazing to be able to bring in some of my favorite vocalists and have a prog/power chorus in a black metal song (“Floodgates”), and a longing, beautiful shoegaze ballad on the same record (“Missing Pieces”).
The other aspect of melodic death/doom
There’s also a far more negative train of thought connected to melodic death/doom music and Soliloquium. I genuinely don’t think that I cut it. Firstly, it’s a very overcrowded subgenre without much innovation. Secondly, it has loads, loads and loads of amazing bands and musicians. Simply put, the great bands in this subgenre are life-changing, and the magic often lies in the melody work.
I can stand my ground pretty well on the terms of Soliloquium’s modern music style. The same cannot be said for competing with Jari Lindholm projects, Ocean of Grief, Rapture, October Tide, Daylight Dies and the other droves of amazing bands and musicians out there. They do melody so much better on a musical and compositional plain, and I can’t and won’t compete.
What I can give is my own unique expression and take. My strength lies in writing songs that resonate, and hopefully I get better on it every time I write and record something new. I’m a weirdly inclined songwriter and introspector rather than an impressive musician who delivers and excels, according to format and expectation. I suppose all this constant change, uncertainty and self-doubt also makes me ill-equipped to be in a proper band, but that’s a discussion for another day (or blog post?).
Hopefully, my thoughts, ideas and personality manage to come across better and better, as I learn more about how to hone my craft. Hope you enjoyed this little melodic death/doom metal-related rant, and that you’re looking forward to my new album. If you haven’t heard my music yet, isn’t it time?
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