SOMNENT

New album, “Heirloom”, out on October 30th!

Broken trust and broken spirit, hidden scars beneath the skin, doubt in all things but my own lack of worth…all these gifts you have handed down to me, wrapped in tears and tied with a bow of disinterest and disdain. I have carried these burdens through the years, their back-breaking weight only growing heavier as I age. I have listened in disbelief to the tales of others’ lives as they spun their stories of love and support, of kindness and warmth, incapable of resolving these fairytale images with the chill emptiness, yawning chasms of distance and quick, casual cruelties that squirmed in the darkness behind the walls of the house that should have been our home. This has been your bequest to me, my undying inheritance to carry, my secret, bitter treasure…my Heirloom.

Somnent began life in 2015, a melodic doom/death metal band from Orlando, Florida created by multi-instrumentalist Giovanni Antonio Vigliotti. From the very beginning Somnent’s music has been infused with a melancholy as heavy and powerful as the measured chords that form their majestic, yet intimate songs. That remarkable blend of towering, regal bearing and raw vulnerability is an integral part of what makes Somnent’s music so affecting and unforgettable. Over the course of one EP, two magnificent studio albums and a dramatic live collection, the band have grown consistently in stature, constantly refining their art without ever losing that courageous honesty and openness, garnering critical acclaim at every turn. Now, with a new alliance forged with Ardua Music, it is time to reveal Somnent’s third full-length studio album. A reflection on the devastating effects of a toxic family situation, the deep wounds that can take a lifetime to heal and the liberation that can be found in severing the ties which keep us chained to the struggles of our past…this is Heirloom.

“Heirloom took four gruelling years to create, from 2022 through 2026, and its songs were shaped by painful experiences, both in childhood and adulthood. The album is ultimately about grief, not only for those who have passed, but also for the living, for the loved ones and parts of ourselves that have been lost, wounded, or changed beyond recognition. Above all, Heirloom is dedicated to those who mourn their childhood selves, the suffering they endured, and to anyone who continues to carry the weight of experiences they never asked for. I am deeply grateful to everyone who collaborated on this album. Their musicianship, sensitivity, and personal contributions helped reveal the essence of what these songs were meant to express, bringing this deeply personal work closer to the vision I carried throughout its creation.” – Giovanni Antonio Vigliotti

Heirloom begins with ‘A Voice Of Inner Child’ and the summoned atmosphere of sorrow and quiet desperation immediately enfolds you in its cold embrace, the voice of guest vocalist Natalia Drepina (Mourneress) hypnotic and inescapable, cutting softly to the heart. ‘Throne Aflame’ follows, heavy with both portent and memory, back bowed beneath the weight of the world. It reaches into the vault where your most painful moments are sealed away and draws them, with gentle determination, into the light. The melodies are magnificent and the chorus lifts you on wings of revelation and acceptance. Heirloom holds you rapt through its every dark chapter; the sadness immeasurable, the intensity of emotion that infuses every chord, word, beat, note and breath, overwhelming. From the long, terrible journey of ‘Barren Mother’, its desolate opening chords rolling in like quiet waves on a chill and lightless shore, to the impassioned vocals, granite riffs and electrifying lead work of ‘The Feeding Hand’, the song writing talent on display is formidable. Heirloom is an album of aching beauty, dark heaviness, dreadful, desolate sadness – and yet it also carries a light of hope, offering a supporting hand and genuine empathy. With their third album Somnent have tapped into the very essence of doom metal and made it their own. The clarity of reflection, the intensity of expression in both words and music make this album addictive, irresistible and very, very special.

Painted in hues of fading light and cemetery grey, Heirloom draws on a rich sonic palette that makes for an utterly immersive listening experience. There’s a resonance and clarity, a tactile texture to each element of sound that is breathtaking. With cover art created by the acclaimed Augusto Peixoto of Iron Doom Design (In Solitude, Rise To The Sky, Sinister Realm etc) Heirloom is complete in every way. Look for its coming on October 30th when Ardua Music will bid it farewell and send it out into the world.

Somnent