It’s every now and then that we get a new act out of the vast online expanse of atmospheric black metal that is actually worthy of immense attention and analysis. When Soul Dissolution came around with their album “Stardust” two years ago (self-reminder: still need to check that out) that the band received a very respectable amount of attention, and it’s until now that we had just an EP to check out from the band. Now, it’s with another EP that we see Soul Dissolution return, and should this be just a prelude to a full-length to soon come then it’s set up to be something no less than monumental.

By all accounts, Soul Dissolution has done another truly successful job with “Winter Contemplations” like what they did on the “nowhere” EP and the LP “Pale Distant Light” four years ago, but it’s specifically in this instance that I find the band to make a great jump forward when it comes to overall quality and, especially, the maturity of the material at hand. Just two tracks across an over 24-minute runtime, “Winter Contemplations” is far from lacking in any of the categories that make atmospheric black metal so interesting at all with length, diversity throughout each song, tremendous musicianship across the board, and a gripping sound that makes the entire EP something to behold for any fan of the style; Soul Dissolution has another excellent work on their hands! It’s all so melancholic with a tremendous sense of intensity that is placed expertly amongst this immensely eclectic black metal that helps this band stand out even more in a scene that is overflowing with acts that are everywhere between noteworthy and almost not worth mentioning, and that’s a true testament to the power that Soul Dissolution has at their command more than anything else. Every second of “Winter Contemplations” is brought together with such excellence and talent that it’s hard not to constantly stay exciting for whatever this act may dish out next, and if there had to be a short and exclusive list of bands in the style that demand to be heard more with two eyes kept firmly on them then Soul Dissolution absolutely deserves a spot high on that list.

This may just be a humble 2-track EP that many may take as a small, and maybe even insignificant, stepping stone in the slowly growing discography of Soul Dissolution, but I could not disagree more with such an idea. It’s with every release that this band gets better and better on a scale that is no less than impressive, and that’s no different here with “Winter Contemplations” showing us yet another of the many sides that Soul Dissolution balances perfectly throughout their sound of many faces with each one having its own flavor and personality that only elevates the entire experience further.

LISTEN to “Winter Contemplations” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Soul Dissolution on Facebook here.