Bliss of Solitude

For me, Isole have been on a bit of a downward trajectory since their late-2000s high water mark and listening to Bliss of Solitude and their most recent release, 2023's Anesidora, back-to-back gives an illustation of why. The latter release feels stripped of any real emotional weight, with the band seemingly seeking a sound more palatable to the mainstream, stoner doom crowd.

So, enough of what went wrong and let us focus on what the band were doing well fifteen years ago, with Bliss of Solitude and its follow-up Silent Ruins. After forming in 2004 the Swedes released a couple of solid doom metal albums in 2005's Forevermore and '06's Throne of Void, but it was with 2008's Bliss of Solitude that they found themselves nearing the summit of the doom metal mountain. Obviously they were influenced by Candlemass' bombastic style of epic doom metal, but that was certainly not the full extent of what Isole were about, that bombast being tempered by a sorrowful, emotionally resonant side in the vein of Patrick Walker's Warning. The result of this for a release like Bliss of Solitude is that it sounds at once romantically triumphant, but also heart-rending and mournful, like the emotions of the victors of a savage battle won at great cost.

The production is spot on and producer, drummer Jonas Lindström (also of Ereb Altor), has fashioned a perfect guitar sound, being at once huge and weighty whilst still possessing a sorrowful emotion that also keeps it quite personal-sounding. Additional weight is provided by the thundering basswork and Lindström's well-pitched drumming, which act as a perfect foundation for the emotionally-charged dirges of the riffs. The band employs dual guitarists / vocalists in Daniel Bryntse and Crister Olsson, their style of esoteric, layered clean vocals being another source of the album's essential melancholy, particularly on a slower, more inward-looking track like "Imprisoned in Sorrow" or "Dying".

There is a classiness to Isole's best work, of which this is definitely an example, to which not all doom bands are able to aspire. This isn't just about playing super-slow riffs, dragged-out to inordinate lengths, but it is about portraying sadness and sorrow in a relatable and humanly resonant way, being able to express negative emotion in a manner that hints at both redemption and hope without sounding trite or insincere. Bliss of Solitude is a classic slab of emotionally-charged doom metal that deserves a larger share of the praise that is heaped on lesser releases

For their third album, the Swedes have delivered a slab of epic and graceful doom metal, with a concrete production and an overdose of calculated sorrow.

"By Blood" rages as a sad, steady pace beneath haunted vocals, before giving way to a spooky, Sabbath-like segment midway through. "From Clouded Sky" is like a ray of sunlight crashing your day and announcing to the wide world THIS MAN'S DAY HAS COME. You are fucked! Then it kicks into that insanely crunchy groove which would do any Candlemass or Solitude Aeternus fan proud. Might be my favorite here, but it's a tough contest. "Imprisoned in Solitude" begins with some light acoustics, before clouting you with a graceful flow of sad chords. The title track crushes you with the weight of a thousand dying suns, YOU ARE TRULY ALONE in an empty universe. "Aska" returns to the heavy as fuck Swedish doom grooves, "Dying" is another slower piece fueled by acoustic plucking. The album ends with the glorious "Shadowstone".

Here is a band which understands what 'doom' means. A psychological, stunning effect on the listener which evokes futility and sorrow. I hear so many bands out there who equate 'doom' with being boring, talentless hacks playing dreadfully slow riffs. Not Isole. Their material is melodic and beautiful, captivating yet crushing. They literally ooze despair and I took a dip and got really wet in it. Congratulations on your best album yet sirs.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Sweden’s Isole formed in 2004 and since then have released three albums with Bliss of Solitude being the latest. The band has slowly been gathering momentum with the earlier albums getting decent reviews. I’d been wanting to check this band out for a while mainly because a friend couldn’t stop raving about the 2 songs he’d heard on download.com or something like that.

So anyway, the band mainly focus on a crawling single tempo doom metal where the riffs repeat themselves through the course of the song, the vocal’s are almost chant like and follow the guitar lines for the most part and the leads when they happen sound like classic Candlemass. In fact the band at times sound more like Candlemass than that band does these days. There’s also some Anathema and Solitude Aeturnus in the mix but considering the impact those two bands have had on the genre, I suppose it’s only to be expected. Where the band succeeds, is in writing sprawling epic doom metal that always manages to get its hook in you.

Stand out tracks include album opener By Blood with its droning repetitive riff, the superb Imprisoned in Sorrow which manages to mix influences from classic doom and the whole post metal scene and the title song which owes quite a bit to Solitude Aeturnus but manages to sound original enough.

You’ve probably guessed by now that the band is a bit derivative. There’s a lot of Candlemass in these songs and the influence of Solitude Aeturnus also creeps in more than once. Early Anathema seems to have become the benchmark for most new bands and you’ll find some of those influences in these songs as well. However, having said all of that, Bliss of Solitude is a pretty good album. It’s not a case of the band transcending influences or anything like that. It’s just about the band sticking to what made doom metal so awesome in the first place and wearing their influences on their sleeve.

Bliss of Solitude is not the all encompassing crushing doom experience that I thought it was on my first listen and the more you hear it, the more obvious the influences become. However, if you’re a fan of the genre then the band is a bit better than competent and some of these songs are pretty good.

Originally written for http://www.kvltsite.com

How I have waited for this, the third album from the majestic, marvelous Isole. After the amazing "Throne Of Void" I had high expectations for this album, and at first spin, I was disappointed. After the Doom magic of the last album, this one seemed flat. The riffs were not as good, the production was a bit lackluster, and the songwriting seemed aimless and kind of dull.

And yet, I kept spinning it, with the feeling that there was more there than I was hearing at first listen. And lo, after about the fourth time, it was like scales fell from my ears or something. Venturing once more through "Bliss Of Solitude", the album opened up, and became something so powerful I still can't believe it took me so long to register it. This album is like a picture of two faces, but if you stare at it long enough, it becomes something else entirely. So this album is not accessible at all, which should not be a shock for a Doom album, but it really takes some time to tune into it, and then you are treated to masterful riffs, impressive and classically-inflected leadwork, and haunting vocals that sound like a ghost in a cathedral. This is sorrowful, and yet the sheer beauty of it lifts it from depressing into exaltation. Isole have stepped beyond comparisons to Solitude Aeturnus or Solstice and made a deeper, more serious album than a lot of bands in this genre ever manage.

If you thought their last album was great, then get this and spin it, and keep spinning it until it clicks. It will, trust me. If you are a fan of retardo-stoner "doom" then you will not have the attention span this requires. But if you love Doom that is real and deep and full of genuine emotion, then this is the album you have been waiting for. "Bliss Of Solitude" is a magnificent album that gets better every time I listen to it.

Originally written for www.metalcrypt.com