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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.