Soijl - As The Sun Sets On Life (CD) Digipak

atmospheric death doom metal, Solitude Productions, Solitude Productions
13 reviews Write a review
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SP. 125-17D x
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The second album by Soijl, a project founded by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist Matthias Svensson (Saturnus, Istapp, Vanmakt, Nidrike). Continuing the development of figurative ideas and the musical component of the debut work, "As The Sun Sets On Life", at the same time, is a new stage for the band. Gloomy, atmospheric doom death metal compositions with a dense sound and excellent performance are what Soijl is loved for, and this is exactly what the musicians offer in their new work, in a more spectacular form this time. The famous designer and photographer Roman Kamin (Wine From Tears, Mare Infinitum, Aut Mori) have been again responsible for the visual part of the album crafting a magnificent 12-page booklet.

Tracklist:
I Death Do Us Part 8:36
II Weapon Of Primordial Chaos 9:18
III Salvation Deception 11:05
IV Spiritual Asphyxiation 8:55
V On Antediluvian Shores 9:15
VI Alive In A Sea Of Dying Flowers 7:27
VII The Abyss, My Tomb 7:45

Artist:
Soijl
Artist Country:
Sweden
Album Year:
2017
Title:
As The Sun Sets On Life
Genre:
atmospheric death doom metal
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Digipak
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
SP. 125-17D
Release Year:
2017
Barcode:
4 627080 611160
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
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Review
Doomed to Darkness
8/10
17.05.2017

Soijl are a band from Sweden that has been featured before in this zine and plays a melodic mixture of doom and death metal and this is a review of their 2017 album “As The Sun Sets On Life” which was released by Solitude Productions.

Melodic guitar leads start off the album along with some drum beats and spoken word parts a few seconds later and after awhile the music gets a lot more heavier along with some death metal growls while you can also hear a great amount of melody in the guitar riffing that is heavily influenced by the 90’s.

When s creams are utilized they add in a touch of black metal while most of the tracks are very long and epic in length and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very dark and melodic fashion along with clean guitars also being added into certain sections of the recording,

Female vocals can also be heard briefly while some tracks also add in atmospheric synths as well as a brief use of whispers and spoken word parts on a couple of the songs and all of the music sticks to a very slow musical direction and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording.

Soijl creates another recording that remains true to the melodic mixture of doom and death metal from previous releases, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover death, doom, hate and misery themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Soijl and if you are a fan off melodic doom/death metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “Death Do Us Apart” “Spiritual Asphyxiation” and “The Abyss, My Tomb”.

Author: OccultBlackMetal
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:46
Review
Doom-Metal.com
8.5/10
21.05.2017

Beginning life as an informal solo project started around 2008 by multi-instrumentalist Mattias Svensson, already a veteran of several lesser-known Black/Death/Thrash bands, Soijl didn’t become a serious venture, or an official band, until 2014. By then, Svensson had spent a couple of years with Saturnus, before teaming up with fellow ex-Nidrike bandmember Henrik Kindvall on vocals. Later, post-debut, Johan Mathisson, from Onda Makter, arrived as full-time drummer. On paper, that should make Soijl about 90% Black Metal, but Svensson is on record as having always wanted to play Doom, but never – Saturnus aside – having the opportunity or personnel to do so.

So, the debut, ‘Endless Elysian Fields’, arrived in 2015, courtesy of Solitude, with a Death/Doom tag and to a fair quantity of critical praise. Sticking with the same line-up and label, sophomore follow-up ‘As The Sun Sets On Life’ will see official release tomorrow, in a rather stylish-looking limited digipak presentation.

On the one hand, it should certainly please those who enjoyed the debut’s combination of muscular and dynamic guitar-driven melodies and diverse vocals – it’s actually quite hard to separate the two albums, even played back to back. Each one comprises seven tracks, mainly in the 7-9 minute bracket, running for around an hour, but unless you’re keeping count, you probably won’t notice the playlist click over to the new release. That, though, is less of a criticism than a reflection of how right Soijl got ‘Endless Elysian Fields’ – without radically changing compositional style, they didn’t leave themselves much headroom for evolving and refining a different sound.

Occupying the same sort of clear yet hefty soundstage, with the same distinct, precise mix and balance to the instrumentation, ‘As The Sun Sets On Life’ rumbles along exactly as you might anticipate: guitar lines merge and duel through riffs and expansive melodies, backed by solid unfussy percussion that can amp up the thunder when it needs to, allowing space for the expressive and varied vocals to sweep from spoken to clean to growl. Very occasionally, as on the closing of ‘Death Do Us Part’, extra features appear: ethereal female voice, in that instance, but there are other snatches of keyboards scattered throughout.

It is, to be honest, a not unfamiliar path: in timbre, variety and range, both Henrik’s voice and Mattias’s guitar are reminiscent of Messrs Jacobsson and Ericson of compatriots Draconian, as are the morose and heavily narrative lyrics – though they all also have hints of a less symphonic When Nothing Remains. Less so, but nonetheless present, are moments nodding towards older My Dying Bride and, perhaps inevitably, Saturnus’ ‘Saturn In Ascension’. Where Soijl most markedly differ from those other bands is in the limited use of keys or any other instruments, and the slightly more Metal-oriented guitar interjections, including a fondness for squealing pinch harmonics: but, nonetheless, to me, it falls very solidly into the old-school Gothic/Doom camp, lacking only some of the more theatrical and orchestral flourishes found in some strands of that genre. Mood and atmosphere-wise, it certainly sits right alongside the aforementioned, and while not totally individual in approach, yet carries sufficient personality of its own.

Perhaps more importantly, it can hold its head pretty high amongst such exalted company. It may not hold many surprises, but it doesn’t really need to in order to resonate with the listener: working to a well-defined classic template is fine, in my book, if you have the compositional strength and musical firepower to do a proper job of it, and Soijl do exactly that. So, if you’re a fan of that moody, mid-tempo, graveyard soul-searching sort of exposition, delivered with the typically slick melodiousness and polish of Gothenburg and beyond, here’s another worthy example to add to your collection.

Author: Mike Liassides
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:46
Review
Metal Temple
8/10
10.06.2017

Sometimes, there are albums that seem to be complex to our senses, and if you’re a writer, it becomes a hard labor like those that Heracles faced in Greek mythology. But as well, the more an album is complex, the more you’ll like it, and this is the case of the Swedish trio SOIJL. Their new album, “As the Sun Sets on Life” is really very good. Their musical work is focused on a very melodic and melancholic form of Doom Metal using grunted voices and some experimental touches and influences. Obviously it is bitter and harsh in many moments, but the more you get used to their musical work, the more you’ll understand and your senses becomes opened for what the band has to offer. You’ll hear a bitter and oppressive form of music, but elegant and with some good female vocals as well (a courtesy of Miriam Karlsson).

Mattias Svensson is the album’s producer. Initially, the band was planned to be a side project of Mattias, so he knows and have the clear idea of what he wants of the sound quality. It’s not perfect, because it is a bit rawer than the needed, but it is heavy and has that balance between weight, aggressiveness and clarity in a very good level. The seven long songs of “As the Sun Sets on Life” are very good, but as their finest moments, I’d like to name the bitter and darkened “Death Do Us Part” with its deep introspective feeling and fine guitar work, the funeral paced song “Salvation, Deception”, the contrast between nasty vocals and good clean voices on the depressive slowness of “Spiritual Asphyxiation”, the keyboards that fill all the empty spaces on “On Antediluvian Shores”, and some aggressive parts, and the contrast of clean and shrieked vocals presented on “Alive in a Sea of Dying Flowers”.

It’s an album hard to be assimilated, I’ll not lie. But “As the Sun Sets on Life” is really very good, and SOIJL is a good name in the Doom/Death Metal scene.

Originality: 8
Songwriting: 9
Memorability: 8
Production: 8

Author: Marcos “Big Daddy” Garcia
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:45
Review
Iye Zine
8.1/10
06.06.2017

Il ritorno dopo due anni dei Soijl, band fondata dall’ex chitarrista dei Saturnus Mattias Svensson, non può che costituire una buona notizia per tutti gli amanti del death doom melodico.

Così come scritto all’epoca, in relazione all’album d’esordio Endless Elysian Fields, chi è stato parte in causa nella realizzazione di un capolavoro come Saturn In Ascension non può certamente ignorarne o ripudiarne i contenuti, per cui quella dei Soijl è un’interpretazione del genere che si avvicina per modalità a quella dei maestri danesi, pur senza aderirvi pedissequamente.
Infatti, il sound che il chitarrista svedese continua ad offrire è, in qualche modo, meno immediato rispetto a quello dei Saturnus, in virtù di un incedere a tratti più arcigno e che, comunque, non fa venire meno anche certe influenze provenienti dalla scena d’oltreoceano.
Proprio per questo As The Sun Sets On Life è un album che lascia qualche dubbio nel corso dei primi due-tre ascolti, per poi mostrare finalmente le sue vere sembianze, quelle di ottimo esempio di musica dolente ed emozionante. Rispetto al precedente full length Svensson non si è occupato di tutti gli strumenti, affidando la batteria al giovane Malphas e confermando, invece, alla voce l’ottimo Henrik Kindvall: in buona sostanza poco cambia, sia nelle caratteristiche di un sound che possiede coordinate chiare ed inequivocabili, sia nella qualità con la quale queste vengono seguite.
As The Sun Sets On Life si sviluppa per poco più di un’ora, offrendo un death doom nel quale vengono rielaborati nel migliore dei modi gli influssi delle principali scuole, restituendoli impeccabilmente con personalità e brillantezza, con una menzione speciale per la terna Weapon Of Primordial Chaos, Salvation, Deception e Spiritual Asphyxiation, brani che uno dopo l’altro dimostrano senza lasciare dubbi la bontà del lavoro compositivo di Svensson.
Forse non si rinviene un progresso netto rispetto al precedente lavoro, anche perché la base di partenza era già comunque consistente, ma siamo senz’altro in presenza di una prova notevole, in grado di riaffermare una posizione di rilievo dei Soijl nella scala dei valori della scena, e non è poco.

Author: Stefano Cavanna
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:45
Review
franconiametallum.de
7/10
30.05.2017

Gute Produktion und nicht minder gute Songs zeichnen dieses hervorragende Album und Meisterwerk aus. Auf der Suche nach einer Schublade, derer man sich gerne bedient, wenn es darum geht eine Band zu kategorisieren, fand man sich unter Doom Metal wieder. Eingängige Gitarrenparts, über weite Teile recht gelungene Keyboardpassagen und fett gute Vocals verschaffen dem Zuhörer ein melodiöses und nicht allzu derbes Klangerlebnis. Keines der sieben Stücke
hätte es verdient als schwach bezeichnet zu werden, wobei sich selbstredend persönliche Favouriten mit der Zeit herauskristallisieren. Da wären “Death Do Us Part”, das etwas mehr in Richtung Heavy tendierende “On Antediluvian Shores” und was mich durch seine Arrangements und Vocals angehnehme “Spiritual Asphyxiation” – genial! Um es gleich vorneweg zu sagen – SOIJL haben mich mit ihrem zweiten Longplayer von der ersten Minute an begeistern können. Für mich stellt die CD ein klares Highlight des Doom Metal dar. Die Melodien kommen hier melancholisch oder majestätisch daher. Ich kann nicht sagen, woher diese Stimmung gezaubert wird, da SOIJL lediglich auf die gewöhnlichen Instrumente zurückgreift. Das Gitarrenspiel ist variabel und passt sich perfekt den Drums an. Die Vocals sind stiltypisch und drängen sich selten wahrnehmbar in den Vordergrund, sondern gleichen sich den Instrumenten an. Insgesamt ist das Album bestens gelungen und, aus meiner Sicht, einfach genial. Vielleicht liegts ja an mir und meiner Vorliebe für den Stil, aber die CD ist definitiv eine der besten Veröffentlichungen auf dem überfüllten Metal Markt . Im Klartext soll das heißen, daß “As The Sun Sets On Life” eine megafette Produktion abbekommen hat und dadurch gleich nochmal so gut ballert.

Author: Leif Tischner
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:45
Review
Gorger’s Metal
4+/5
29.05.2017

The mournful and melodic Swedish death/doom band Soijl is back with their second album.
As mentioned in connection with Endless Elysian Fields, the debut released in the fall of 2015, the band was created in 2008 by Mattias Svensson, while Henrik Kindvall became part of the band the year before the debut. During the 20 months that have passed, drummer Malphas (Onda Makter) has also joined the band.
A lot is unchanged, and if you appreciated the debut, you’ll presumably like this one too.

The style has not changed. The band performs heavy and grief-stricken death/doom with ditto growling, and the two albums sound quite similar, i.e. loud and clear, but heavy, deep and resounding. The new record is a few minutes longer than its predecessor, but both contain seven songs that together clock in at about the hour. As with the debut, I get some associations to My Dying Bride, albeit without the similarity becoming too apparent.

Despite heavy riffs, the music has a hovering atmospheric ethos. Wistful melodies give the music wings. But gliding flight and majestic vistas give no comfort. The golden eagle’s brave tears fall on a lush landscape that slowly fades away, consumed, poisoned and deteriorated by the greedy two-legged breed, which in unquenchable desire unceasingly increases its territory.

Every single song has strong melodies, but I miss a proper heavy-duty riff or melody or two, that would truly stick as cattle branding. Endless Elysian Fields had the killer-song Dying Kinship. As The Sun Sets On Life “only” has seven equally good songs, soaked in lead and melancholy. For fans of death/doom that should nevertheless be enough.
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:45
Review
Wonderbox Metal
13.06.2017

Soijl are a Swedish death/doom metal band and this is their second album.

Soijl play atmospheric death/doom, heavy on the atmosphere and crushing weight.

The songs are either slow and substantial, or mid-paced and rumbling, moving unstoppably forward, bathed in misery, despair, and negativity. This is death/doom with an old-school doom metal emphasis and giant, roaring growls.

Subtle keyboards are used sparingly, merely to enhance the already gloomy moods that pervade the release. These add extra texture to the melodic leads and meaty rhythm guitars. Female vocals appear too, for much the same reason.

The winding guitar melodies that are a calling card of atmospheric death/doom are seemingly omnipresent, weaving their dark magic as the songs progress. Well-written and effectively judged, these tracks build atmosphere with ease and emphasise the lost, hopelessness of all of life’s endeavours.

The main growls are extremely satisfying and sound monstrous in their delivery. Occasional screams are unleashed too, but it’s the growls that are the real stars of the show for me.

With a clear, professional recording, this is an album that has a lot of strengths and very few weaknesses.

As far as death/doom goes this is up there with the best of them. As the Sun Sets on Life is a very accomplished album and you should check it out.

Author: wonderboxmetal
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:44
Review
Arte Metal
8.5/10
13.06.2017

O Soijl é uma banda paralela do sueco Matthias Svensson (Saturnus, Istapp, Vanmakt, Nidrike), que conta atualmente ao seu lado com o vocalista Henrik Kindvall e Johan Mathisson na bateria. Um trio relativamente jovem, mas que sabe onde pisa e tem muito conhecimento no que propõe.

A sonoridade é focada no Doom/Death Metal que a banda já apresentava no seu debut, lançado em 2015. Este segundo trabalho mostra uma evolução natural nas composições, uma adição maior de peso, porém melodias e variação mais elevadas. O resultado é muito bom, enfim.

É interessante como a banda soa coesa e segura, e mesmo apostando nas tradicionais composições longas e de andamentos cadenciados, não soa cansativa. O clima está mais para o lado sombrio que melancólico, e outro ponto positivo é o equilíbrio encontrado nos timbres.

A temática continua abrangendo o lado soturno da vida e casando muito bem com a musicalidade imposta. É importante mencionar a ótima produção, coerente e que deu um ar natural ao som. Destaque para faixas como Death Do Us Part, Salvation, Deception e The Abyss, My Tomb.

Author: Vitor Franceschini
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:44
Review
Rock Overdose
5.7/10
10.06.2017

Ο ιθύνων νους των Soijl, Mattias Svensson (πρώην μέλος των Saturnus την περίοδο του “Saturn In Ascension”), μας είχε παραδώσει ένα ‘απλά καλό’ ντεμπούτο πριν δύο χρόνια, δείχνοντας κάποιες προοπτικές στις συνθέσεις του, μην μπορώντας όμως ταυτόχρονα να ξεφύγει πλήρως από τις μανιέρες των πρώην συνεργατών του. Μετά από δύο χρόνια λοιπόν, αντί να βελτιωθεί ή να δεχτεί την ομοιότητα, καταφέρνει να μας αποδείξει στην καλύτερη πως παρέμεινε στάσιμος.

Με το ξεκίνημα αντιλαμβάνεσαι πως το μελωδικό doom/death διαθέτει (ξανά) πολλά στοιχεία ομοιότητας με τους Saturnus, όπως είχε γίνει και στο ντεμπούτο, μόνο που αυτή τη φορά οι επιρροές και οι ομοιότητες στις συνθέσεις είναι περισσότερες, θέλοντας ίσως να επωφεληθεί από την έλλειψη του δισκογραφικού momentum των Δανών, οι οποίοι απουσιάζουν πέντε χρόνια ήδη δισκογραφικά. Το θέμα όμως, είναι πως, αφενός η αντιγραφή αγγίζει ενοχλητικά επίπεδα, και αφετέρου, δε διαθέτει το μαγικό άγγιγμα των Saturnus.

Τα περισσότερα κομμάτια στο δίσκο μοιάζουν με fillers από άλμπουμ των ξέρετε ποιών. Αυτή η πρόταση εύκολα θα μπορούσε να συνοψίζει από μόνη της το επίπεδο του δίσκου. Δε λέω πως είναι για τα σκουπίδια, αλλά είναι τόσο κουραστικά ίδιο και αντιγραμμένο, ενώ παράλληλα από τη στιγμή που δε διαθέτει την ικανότητα να δώσει έστω το απαραίτητο ενδιαφέρον στις συνθέσεις, τα κομμάτια καταλήγουν να πλατειάζουν και να κουράζουν ακόμα και τους κάπως πιο περαστικούς ακροατές, με τη μεγάλη τους διάρκεια και την έλλειψη ικανοποιητικών ιδεών, οι οποίες μάλιστα είναι ατάκτως σκορπισμένες, πρόκειται για συνδυασμό δηλητήριο για οποιαδήποτε δουλειά.

Καταλαβαίνω το γεγονός να θες να αντιγράψεις από τους καλύτερους, αλλά ακόμα και αυτό θα πρέπει να γίνεται τουλάχιστον αξιοπρεπώς, όπως είχε γίνει στο ντεμπούτο. Εδώ όχι μόνο δεν κρατιόνται τα προσχήματα, αλλά ακόμα και το συνθετικό επίπεδο είναι χειρότερο από το αναμενόμενο. Αν θέλετε σώνει και καλά να τους ακούσετε, προτιμήστε το ντεμπούτο τους. Αυτό εδώ σα σύνολο είναι πολύ μέτριο, κουραστικό και flat.
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:44
Review
http://www.thereviewer.ch
8/10
23.06.2017

„As The Sun Sets On Life“ markiert das zweite Album der schwedischen Combo SOIJL und entreisst den Hörer erneut aus seiner vermeintlich glücklichen Umgebung. Mit jeder Faser ihres Daseins hieven SOIJL Ton um Ton auf ihre Songstrukturen und vollenden es zu einem massiven Gebilde aus Melancholie. Henrik Kindvall schwankt mit seinem Gesang zwischen erzählerischen Sprech-Passagen und tiefen Growl-Inbrunst, während die Saitenfraktion ihren Instrumenten melodiereiches entlockt und sich nach und nach zu einem kolossalen Rhythmusbrett hochschaukelt.

SOIJL zeigen sich mit „As The Sun Sets On Life“ Stil- und Zielsicher in ihrem Tun, huldigen dabei den grossen Doom-Vätern der Gegenwart, in dessen Fahrwasser sie sich auch bereitwillig treiben lassen.

Author: Pink
Solitude Productions 11.09.2018, 15:43
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