Soulless – The Supreme Resurgence

An introduction to Soulless

Soulless, the remarkable one-man band hailing from Indonesia, unveiled its latest album, “The Supreme Resurgence,” in May. This marks the artist’s fourth full-length release, following 2021’s “Shine in Purity.” Soulless specializes in beautiful melancholic black metal with a captivating atmosphere. Prior to discovering this album, I had no previous knowledge of Soulless, which allowed me to approach it without any preconceived expectations.

When it comes to exploring new music, I often rely on album artwork to catch my attention. That’s exactly how I stumbled across this masterpiece while searching for something to listen to during one of my late-night walks on Black Metal Promotion. Since I typically pair my walks with atmospheric and melancholic black metal, it seemed like the perfect fit. The artwork depicts a dark and gloomy landscape with trees and mountains, but what caught my attention was the woman in gold illuminating the center. This unexpected element piqued my curiosity about what the music had to offer.

To my delight, Soulless didn’t disappoint. The music perfectly matched the mood I was seeking, and I have been regularly listening to the album ever since our first encounter. Given the strong connection I felt, I wanted to provide a review for “The Supreme Resurgence.”

The Supreme Resurgence

The album consists of only five tracks, each leaning towards the lengthier side, resulting in a total runtime of just over 45 minutes. The opening track, titled “The Supreme Resurgence,” sets the mood with clean melancholic guitars accompanied by subtle echoes of thundering in the background. As the composition progresses, multiple well-layered elements deepen the overall musical experience, serving as a defining characteristic of the album.

Throughout the tracks, there are alternating sections that contrast the beautifully sorrowful passages, reminiscent of the aforementioned opening, with faster and denser segments. These sections feature soaring tremolo melodies, blast beats, and harsh authentic vocals that effectively convey a sense of hopelessness. It is this contrast that truly sets the album apart.

As I mentioned earlier, the vocal delivery can be interpreted as an expression of hopelessness or despair. However, in line with the album’s title, hope is not completely lost. The latter half of the album features song titles with positive messages, such as “We Will Prevail” and “My Ashen Hope.” This departure from the norm in black metal is a breath of fresh air and something I genuinely appreciate.

In the concluding minutes of the album, a sense of hope is encapsulated in a majestic manner that lingers even after the music fades away. It leaves a lasting impression, reinforcing the overall theme of resilience and optimism.

Highlights

I firmly believe that albums should be experienced from start to finish, particularly atmospheric records that maintains a consistent theme throughout. However, if I were to highlight a standout moment, it would be a section emerging from the 7-minute mark of “We Will Prevail”, lasting for about one and a half minute.

This passage stands as my absolute favourite segment of the entire album. It embodies the sections I previously described, characterized by the dense layers of music with a mixture of both harsh and choir-like vocals, soaring guitars, and beautiful melodies. It is truly amazing how one man can create music sounding like an entire orchestra.

Conclusion

Soulless has truly proven to be an amazing band, consistently creating astonishing atmospheric records. Despite my earlier statement of being unfamiliar with Soulless’ work, this album has piqued my curiosity and inspired me to delve deeper into their discography.

“The Supreme Resurgence” is an album that should be experienced from start to finish, whether it’s during a walk on a dark evening or inside on a rainy day. It has firmly established itself as one of my favorite albums of the year. I will definitely keep an eye on Soulless in the future, and I highly recommend that everyone else do the same.