If you like Khanate, Grief, early Melvins, Earth, Nortt, Khlyst, Winter, disEMBOWELMENT and other offerings, you probably already own this. If not, I highly suggest this album above almost all other lite rock ever recorded.

Many years have passed since Esoteric's latest masterpiece and they seem to have returned with 4 killer songs in this amazing album. Those familiar with the distinctive sound of these Brits will quickly fall in love with this album while some others may find it difficult to follow. All of the elements that made Esoteric such a big name in the Doom scene are still here. 3 guitars with sounds ranging from drones to melodic passages, slow and repetitive rhythm passages and the distorted vocals which add to the unique atmosphere of this album. The songs are huge ranging from 10 to 17 minutes each but never fail to catch the listener's attention with their hypnotizing heaviness. Be sure to check this, one of the best doom releases in years. I hope that Esoteric won't take 5 years before they release another album. This one was sure worth the wait though.

Prior to purchasing this album, I had only heard of Esoteric. They first became known to me while listening to a radio interview with Porcupine Tree frontman Steve Wilson. He cited Esoteric as a strong influence for the album In Absentia. Though I now see very few similarities between the albums, I am very glad that I was introduced to Esoteric in this manner. After reading reviews online, I was very intrigued with Esoteric and went ahead with buying the album. It arrived in the mail and I listened to it for the first time, from start to finish.

I felt myself slipping into a surreal, nightmarish world of bleak, crushing emotion and atmosphere. I certainly couldn't deny the doominess of the music, which is driven by slow, heavy, sludgy riffs and shrieking, growling vocals that transcend this dimension. The music was at once hynotizing and disturbing, never really letting me become comfortable, with the ongoing dissonance and conflict. On the three "real" tracks of this album, the almost painfully slow, repetitive, organic tone of the music gives the impression that the songs are simply never going to end. Of course, they eventually do, but not for 12, 16, even 17 minutes. The final track is a creepy, 5 minute closer which lets us wind down from the turmoil of the previous three relentless journeys.

In many ways, Dissolution into the Continuum is one of the heaviest albums I have ever experienced. However, heavy is a very subjective term. I'm a fan of a wide variety of metal bands, from Iron Maiden to Opeth to Cryptopsy. There are faster, more chaotic bands out there, with much more mind-numbing displays of technicality and flash. That being said, Esoteric's heaviness lies in its methodical, drudging hopelessness and despair. The vocals are sincerely haunting, and the riffs chug along with a genuinely unsettling determination and automated destructivity. There is really very little more that can be said, except that you simply must hear this album if you consider yourself a fan of metal. If you are not familiar with Doom Metal, then you are in for a very unique experience. And if you are, I still think that Esoteric are creative and original enough to surprise a seasoned metalhead.

Whoa, where to start. Well first off, Esoteric are essentially a doom metal band but with death metal(as heard in the vocals) and progressive influences. They are much more than your normal doom band, while they still retain the slower tempos and the forlorn and gloomy atmosphere. Oddly, there is also something transcendent about this album, surpassing time and space and bringing your concious into a new plane of being while listening...and the melodic beginning of the songs(all over 10 minutes in length except for "Arcane Dissolution" mind you) are simply magnificent. This is one melancholic journey not to be missed. I think i've said all I could except for you to pick up this album, you won't regret it.

this is a great album, full of pludding riffs, melodic guitar and keyboard lines, and of course tortured screams. with the last track being an outro, we are presented with basically three songs, and it all adds up to 50 minutes. the standout track is "the blood of eyes," begining with a beautiful guitar lead, it slowely works its way into a chugging riff; going through some immensly complex progresions and chords. esoteric is truly as complex as almost any prog band, but they are of course very much doom metal, and this album is a true staple to that fact. however, if you are not into music that takes a few listens to get into, or cannot handle metal that isn't played as fast as possible, i don't really recomend this. more over, this is not my dying bride, there are no romantic themes, this is philosophical, and destructive stuff. i would say that a comparision to sunn O))) that an earlier reviewer stated is a bit off, this has a full band and is much faster(still slow). there are no bands like esoteric. if you like winter, skepticism, evoken, thergothon, i'd give this a try. it is probably one of their best albums, best record of 2004 in my opinion.