The band started in 2012, when did you decide to create the band? Why was the name Soul Dissolution chosen? and what does it refer to?
I think the idea to start Soul Dissolution came in the first months of 2012. One year before that, I joined my first band (L’Hiver en Deuil), and by the end of that year I had already written more songs than we could possibly use. Especially since I was their bass player, and not the main songwriter. So, as I was writing more and more songs, I realized that I had to start my own project to record and release them properly. Then, in September 2012, I spoke with Acharan about starting this together, and he agreed.
The name Soul Dissolution is based on the album title “Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum”, by Esoteric, which is my favorite Funeral Doom album. A lot of those earlier songs I was writing dealt with a certain type of apathy, and the impression (or even desire) of slowly fading into some kind of grey nothingness. This name is a perfect representation of this concept.
With a demo and an album released prior to “Stardust”, it was the edition of this that had an impact on giving the band notoriety. How was the composition and recording process of this album? And what do you think it meant for the band?
The composition process started in the last months of 2015, after the release of our first album had been arranged. At the time, I had already a bunch of songs written for a second album, but somehow I realized that simply continuing in the same vein as “Pale Distant Light” would not be enough. I had to re-evaluate my songwriting, in order to write riffs with more impact. Also, it helped to take an external look at my own work, trying to create something I would personally enjoy, even if it was created by someone else. I wasn’t really considering this aspect before…
At first I was mostly working on the song “Stardust”, and my idea was to make some kind of EP with also an older song I had written for my first band, “The Last Farewell”. But then more songs were written, and it quickly turned into an album. Looking back at it now, the writing process for this album was really effortless. The right ideas kept appearing at the right moment for this album to take form. Only the song “Circle of Torment” required some more time, probably because I always struggle with the first song of any album, it’s a tough spot to fill.
This album definitely gave us a lot of attention from the scene, and it remains the centerpiece of our discography. Also from a songwriting perspective, it brought us on another level, so that all of our subsequent compositions would have to be measured against that album. And personally, the song “Stardust” will always remain my favorite, and the epitome of what I wish to express with Soul Dissolution
The EP "Nowhere" gave continuity that same year 2018 to "Stardust", perhaps the fact of being so close in time did not allow us to appreciate much differentiating elements, however the edition last 2020 of the new EP "Winter Contemplations" did allows you to check the greater weight of styles such as post metal and feelings such as nostalgia, are you aware of this evolution in your sound? How do you describe the sound of “Winter Contemplations” for those who have not heard it yet?
This kind of evolution, as you describe, is not something we do on purpose. Different feelings call for different types of songs to express them, and with this new EP it turned out to have more post-metal elements. At least that’s how you (and several others) have described this sound, but for me it’s always very difficult to put it in words. If I had to describe it : take a typical sound of atmospheric black metal with lots of melodies, then slow it down, add some slight influences of doom and post-rock, and there you have it. I like to make the comparison with the “Hoagascht” album (by Lunar Aurora), because it has a very similar vibe in some way.
"Winter Contemplations" only contains a couple of songs, both with more than ten minutes of duration. Yes, how is the way you have to compose and work on the new songs? What main influences are reflected in the sound of "Winter Contemplations ”?
Both songs were originally written many years ago. The first one was intended as a song for L’Hiver en Deuil, and the second one was just lying in a drawer for a while. When the opportunity came to work on this EP (essentially because of the lockdown last year), I already had a starting point for those songs. I only needed to rewrite them to match our current “standards” of songwriting, but it didn’t take too long.
As for the influences, I honestly can’t remember what bands inspired me to write these songs originally...
Emotions such as depression, cold and loneliness emanate from listening to the Ep "Winter Contemplations", at the same time that the lyrics deal with themes such as depression and apathy, why do you treat these themes in your lyrics? And in what way is it important to convey these feelings with your music?
This apathy and depression, as you say, are the feelings with which I have started this project, and at the time, it was certainly cathartic to lay them down on paper. However, years pass and people change, that’s why I drifted towards more abstract, less personal lyrics. For “Winter Contemplations”, I wrote the lyrics as a story. Not mine. But the images and atmosphere are definitely inspired by some landscapes I have seen, and feelings I once had. So, while it was important at first to convey my own feelings in my songs, nowadays I focus more on the aesthetic of the music itself, and the lyrics have to fit into it.
What importance do you give to nature when composing the music in Soul Dissolution since most of the covers that illustrate your releases are a reflection of it?
Well, first of all, the artwork for Soul Dissolution has always been heavily linked to my own photography work. This is a kind of concept we have going on : by always using my own photos in the artwork, we present a more unified and coherent artistic vision.
As for the role of nature itself, it’s difficult to put the right words on this… Basically, nature provides an endless and “pure” source of inspiration. On one hand, for any kind of mood you can find a landscape that represents it, and on the other hand, nature can always surprise us with amazing beauty. I think those are the reasons I am drawn to this nature imagery to accompany our music.
Belgium and the Netherlands are recently becoming an important nucleus of black metal bands with a very recognizable sound that almost form a scene in itself. How would you describe the black metal scene of a country like Belgium? On the other hand, since 2018 you have done some concerts, how has it been the experience of bringing the sound of Soul Dissolution to live?
You mention the Netherlands, and that scene has indeed produced a lot of very high quality bands, with also a distinctive sound (for instance many of the bands around Haeresis Noviomagi). However I don’t see that in the Belgian scene. There are many great bands, that’s for sure, but not a unified scene with a recognizable sonic identity.
We started playing live in 2018, and it has been a great experience so far. As we mostly function as a studio project, we tend to put a lot of care in the songwriting and recording, with a lot of attention to detail. It’s not always easy or feasible to reproduce all these details in a live environment, and from the start we decided that it was not necessary. For instance, many bands choose to play with a backing track, but we don’t. Playing live is not about reproducing the sound of an album for us : it’s a different dimension of music, where energy is more important.
Since 2019 they have Threnos on drums, how does the incorporation of Threnos take place? And in what way has the inclusion of Threnos influenced the sound of the latest Soul Dissolution EP?
At that time, we were considering possibilities to play live more frequently, and had even some plans for a European tour (which never happened in the end). When discussing those plans, it was clear that Celestial, our drummer at the time, couldn’t always be available, since he was involved in several other bands. So, in search of a temporary replacement, we came in contact with Threnos. After a short period of uncertainty, we played two gigs with him : one in Athens, Greece, and one in Brussels. It went very well, and we could feel his dedication and motivation in working with us. Therefore we decided to continue with him as part of our lineup going forward, as we had a very good chemistry on all levels.
As for his influence on Winter Contemplations… Well, you just have to compare it with the “nowhere” EP : the difference in drumming styles is pretty obvious I would say!
In what way have they been harmed by the emergence of Covid-19 in terms of promotion and sales? In what way have they kept their fans informed of the band's news?
There was almost no impact for us in terms of promotion, we just kept our social media updated as usual. And there was actually a slight increase in online sales during that period, which I think was the case for many bands.
You released “Winter Contemplations” through Viridian Flame Records, which is your own label. What motivated this decision, instead of working with another label? and how did you contact Goat Room Productions for the cassette edition?
I created Viridian Flame Records a few years ago, initially to release our music on vinyl specifically. In this case, we decided to have the CD version also through this label, because it gave us additional flexibility. In fact, we wanted this EP to be released as soon as possible after it was recorded, because we felt there was already a long gap since our previous release. Also, it’s difficult to convince a big label with just an EP, so it was the most practical decision this time.
The vinyl version came out a few months later as a co-release with Flowing Downward from Italy, and I’m really happy to have been able to work with them. As for Goat Room, well they contacted us very early to offer a cassette release, and as they are working with a lot of interesting bands these days, we agreed to their offer.
How were your beginnings in music, first albums that you bought, first concerts that you attend? Where did your interest in wanting to dedicate yourself to music come from?
The first real metal album I bought was, I guess, “And Justice For All”. And my first gig was Machine Head in Brussels, in 2004.
For a long time I was convinced that I wasn’t capable of playing an instrument, or doing anything more than just being a fan. But at some point I started playing guitar, and eventually when I joined my first band, I realized that it was indeed possible for me to write music and express myself this way. From that point, I knew that making music would become a big part of my life, as it gave me a sense of purpose I didn’t get from other occupations.
What albums define the essence of black metal for you? What last albums have you bought?
Honestly I’ve been out of touch with Black Metal in the last 6 months at least, so I really don’t have any inspiration to answer this question. The last album which really impressed me was the new Sunken album, but that was already last year.
What future plans do you have for the band in terms of upcoming releases, concerts, etc?
We’re still working on our third album at the moment. This has taken quite a while : the drums were recorded almost one year ago now, but the motivation to actually finish the rest of the recording has been very low during this prolonged covid period… At least now the recording is finished and we’re in the mixing stage (once again handled by Blastbeat Productions). This time, we will try our luck with some other labels as well, so most probably it won’t be released before 2022, as it takes time to find the right partner and plan a proper release…
We do have those two gigs that were postponed due to the pandemic : a small festival in Belgium in November, and another in Berlin in March 2022. Hopefully there will be some more opportunities for us to play live, but we’ll see how things go
Thank you very much for the time dedicated to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Soul Dissolution fans this is the place. I hope the questions have been to your liking
Thank you as well for this interview! And thanks to whoever might be reading this. Hopefully we can present our new album to all of you in a not too distant future!
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