“With or Without” was the single from our debut album “An Empty Frame”, and a seminal song in the Soliloquium discography. It was the first Soliloquium song to get a significant amount of views, and our first lyric video. For me, it further cemented that the band was more than a one-off project, and gave me courage to play around even more with dynamics and music styles. Let’s dive into what inspired and made the song happen!
About me – deathdoom.com, music and more
- Stefan Nordström
- Musician, songwriter, content creator, digital freelancer
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Bands: Desolator, Soliloquium, Ending Quest, Ashes of Life, Trees of Daymare, The Ashen Tree
- Social: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Listen to “With or Without”
“An Empty Frame” album on Bandcamp ->
“With or Without” lyrics and themes
Reflections, red and white
Light source upon pavement
The radiance of a sleeping city
Rid of the burdens of day
Who are we to fight rising tides?
Struggling further with no reward
With or without, it’s always the same
Entangled in chains of the past
Shaping purpose in empty existence, as fire from extinct ember
What is and what could have been, as day and night cycles again
To be free in containment, this harrowing dream
I remain the wayward seed
Time has escaped me, the passing of years
Stones left unturned, memories lurk in every corner
Echoes with unfettered power
The autumn when the city spoke to me
The lyrics revolve around wants, desires and loss, essentially about never finding a genuine sense of contentment. I had started to find my own path and my own identity, but at what price? And what could I do to realize it? At this point in my life, self-image and philosophy was far removed from my actions. This is the point where the Soliloquium lyrics really became a life-diary and window to my soul. Making intensely personal and specific music became a clear goal around “Things We Leave Behind” (2020), but this was the humble start.
What I really enjoy diving into the lyrics in 2024 are the lyrical and geographical references. It’s a total ode to autumn/winter Stockholm, as I spent many nights around this time roaming the streets. Streetlight reflections, headlights and empty inner-city environments was a bit of an obsession, and the perfect backdrop for the music I was listening to at the time.
The phrase “the city spoke to me” is lifted straight from Krister Linder’s “Gone”, one of my favorite songs, and I regret nothing. I mean, his vocal video for the song even matches “With or Without” perfectly. Sorry not sorry, Krister. You genius.
“With or Without” musical ideas and influences
Much like many songs from this era, the main inspirations are melodic death/doom classics from Katatonia, Daylight Dies, Rapture and October Tide. The instrumentation is sparse, but melancholic. It’s an unusually simple Soliloquium song where the guitar lines mostly serve as a backdrop for the lyrics and vocals. What’s musically notable about “With or Without” is that the song is in 3/4 timing, rather than the usual 4/4.
I think the simplicity might be what drives the song’s popularity. It’s less frantic than many of my other extreme metal songs, relying on simple, repetitive melody. It hasn’t proven to be my natural way of doing things, so I guess you’ll have to do with “With or Without”.
Would I change anything about the song today?
Not much, actually. I think it’s one of the best songs on the debut album, and it captures the mood I was in at the same time, as well as my musical influences. Perhaps I’d try to spice up the vocal melodies and add some keyboard and harmony layers, but that’s about it.
What do you think of “With or Without”? Does it hold up to the newer Soliloquium material, or does its simplicity even make it better? What song do you want me to analyze next? Please tell me on Instagram or Facebook and I’ll consider it!
I hope you found this “With or Without” analysis interesting. I’ll try to keep them coming, to offer deeper insight into my music. If you want to support my music and other creative endeavors, buy some music or merch over at the Soliloquium Bandcamp page. Helps a lot!
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