Soma Dark
Another band from Ryan at Skratch The Surface, Soma Dark, recently released their debut album entitled Begin – and we’ve got a copy! Described as laden with earth shaking grooves, soaring melodies and crushing riffs, this Manchester 5 piece are ready to unleash their message onto the world – so we thought it only right we check them out!
Opening with Passengers of Time, everything takes a funky yet distorted direction from the off, layering the hammering riffs with lead lines and pounding bass and drums. The whole mix comes together with a clean yet powerful vocal line, creating an almost classic edge to proceedings whilst still managing to sound unique as a whole. What I really liked about this track was how it seemed to rove from section to section, one minute offering a pounding riff and the next minute almost kicking into a catchy multi levelled section of different elements – it’s pretty complex stuff. Matching all of the descriptions laid out before hand, this track acts as a perfect introduction to a band and demonstrates that this band could indeed be a hell of a force to be reckoned with!
Lies Behind soon follows on and kicks into another catchy bass laden track, full of hooks which are going to pull you in whilst still keeping a unique outlook on how the track should progress. Really listening to things, behind the music there’s so much going on it’s insane – just listen to the drums, then the bass line, then how the guitarist roves around the neck, this is really complex once again, testament to the bands ability as a whole. This is a track which I imagine will slay on the live scene, it’s got all of the components built within it so if the band can pull it off – bravo! Moving onto Mauna Kea (it’s a volcano don’t you know!), you can almost picture the band hammering this track out at you as it builds. The guitars are once again set to distorted, the bass set to heavy, drums to hammer and tone to dark. Slower, sludgy and downright dirty in its sound, this track really is testament to a band who can craft a heavy track with one hand, then take it and transform it into a monster which people are going to embrace with the other. Catchy once again, this is another track which I would love to see on the live scene, I’m really going to have to get out there to check these guys out.
Breathe comes in next and all of a sudden soothes everything down to a slower pace, opening softer with clean guitars and a slow drum beat. The track takes form soon enough and once again resumes a dark journey, this time keeping the elements melodic throughout yet still managing to pack a hell of a punch as a whole. Powerful vocals really elevate this track and make it one which evokes an emotional change, it’s hard to explain but there’s something deep here, something which will stay with you and something which you’ll come back to time and time again. Faultline on the flipside returns you to the downright awesome riffs of the earlier tracks, casting out all the softened thoughts which you might have had during Breathe. Spat vocals lead the way whilst a lead line hammers out over the sludgy riffs, the drums and bass working as a unit behind everything to bolster it and make sure you’re still fully engaged. The key to this track I think is the vocal line during the chorus part of the track, it changes from the spat approach to what can only be described as a soaring line which grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until it’s ready to let you. Resolute follows much the same method as this one, as does A Tone Set For The Lace Skyline, although the latter also harks back to the more harmonic and melodic moments of the band (make sure you check out the guitar solo!), all the tracks so far working as a whole to keep you listening and paying attention to what’s going on.
Moving into Foresaken and Falling you’re once again thrown into a mash up of distorted guitar lines and rolling drums, the whole mix taking a moment to fully get going but once it does, you won’t be disappointed. Syncopated to the point I struggle to see how this can be performed live, this is another track which is testament to the abilities within the band, something which I’ve got no doubts about having heard the album so far. 2505 confirms this once again, offering up another melodic and emotional slowed down track which is sure to grab your attention. This track is truly something to behold and it’s hard to put into words just how powerful it is whilst being so clean cut as a whole. The vocals are dark and haunting, the guitars soothing, drums low in the mix to keep a beat without becoming over bearing, everything just works. It’s almost a mood killer in some senses, but in others works as you find yourself listening harder to make sure you don’t miss anything. Close to something you would expect to hear from Metallica (when they were good), this track is a sheer triumph, and possibly my favourite on the album, mind blowing stuff.
Finishing with Sundowns Last Raise, the band leave everything on a high and you wanting more. Bass laden lead lines form the opening of the track, keeping everything dark once again and pulling you in, making you want to know what’s going to happen. Launching into a slowed down riff full of downtuned guitars and pounding drums, this track finishes the album much as it began, dark, heavy and full to the brim with hooks which grab you and don’t let go.
I find it so hard to understand how this can be a debut album from Soma Dark, it just sounds so incredibly well put together. The songs are well written and the recordings done to a professional level, but all of this pales into the background when you just listen to what the band have done. Their music isn’t simplistic metal, it’s music which changes you, evokes some change deep down and inspires you to move onwards, move towards something new – it’s incredible. This is the 211th band we’ve featured on the site since setting up, and this has to be one of the highlights, I just can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
To find out more about Soma Dark (and I advise you do!), check out their Facebook page HERE.
Check out their video to Resolute below!
Opening with Passengers of Time, everything takes a funky yet distorted direction from the off, layering the hammering riffs with lead lines and pounding bass and drums. The whole mix comes together with a clean yet powerful vocal line, creating an almost classic edge to proceedings whilst still managing to sound unique as a whole. What I really liked about this track was how it seemed to rove from section to section, one minute offering a pounding riff and the next minute almost kicking into a catchy multi levelled section of different elements – it’s pretty complex stuff. Matching all of the descriptions laid out before hand, this track acts as a perfect introduction to a band and demonstrates that this band could indeed be a hell of a force to be reckoned with!
Lies Behind soon follows on and kicks into another catchy bass laden track, full of hooks which are going to pull you in whilst still keeping a unique outlook on how the track should progress. Really listening to things, behind the music there’s so much going on it’s insane – just listen to the drums, then the bass line, then how the guitarist roves around the neck, this is really complex once again, testament to the bands ability as a whole. This is a track which I imagine will slay on the live scene, it’s got all of the components built within it so if the band can pull it off – bravo! Moving onto Mauna Kea (it’s a volcano don’t you know!), you can almost picture the band hammering this track out at you as it builds. The guitars are once again set to distorted, the bass set to heavy, drums to hammer and tone to dark. Slower, sludgy and downright dirty in its sound, this track really is testament to a band who can craft a heavy track with one hand, then take it and transform it into a monster which people are going to embrace with the other. Catchy once again, this is another track which I would love to see on the live scene, I’m really going to have to get out there to check these guys out.
Breathe comes in next and all of a sudden soothes everything down to a slower pace, opening softer with clean guitars and a slow drum beat. The track takes form soon enough and once again resumes a dark journey, this time keeping the elements melodic throughout yet still managing to pack a hell of a punch as a whole. Powerful vocals really elevate this track and make it one which evokes an emotional change, it’s hard to explain but there’s something deep here, something which will stay with you and something which you’ll come back to time and time again. Faultline on the flipside returns you to the downright awesome riffs of the earlier tracks, casting out all the softened thoughts which you might have had during Breathe. Spat vocals lead the way whilst a lead line hammers out over the sludgy riffs, the drums and bass working as a unit behind everything to bolster it and make sure you’re still fully engaged. The key to this track I think is the vocal line during the chorus part of the track, it changes from the spat approach to what can only be described as a soaring line which grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until it’s ready to let you. Resolute follows much the same method as this one, as does A Tone Set For The Lace Skyline, although the latter also harks back to the more harmonic and melodic moments of the band (make sure you check out the guitar solo!), all the tracks so far working as a whole to keep you listening and paying attention to what’s going on.
Moving into Foresaken and Falling you’re once again thrown into a mash up of distorted guitar lines and rolling drums, the whole mix taking a moment to fully get going but once it does, you won’t be disappointed. Syncopated to the point I struggle to see how this can be performed live, this is another track which is testament to the abilities within the band, something which I’ve got no doubts about having heard the album so far. 2505 confirms this once again, offering up another melodic and emotional slowed down track which is sure to grab your attention. This track is truly something to behold and it’s hard to put into words just how powerful it is whilst being so clean cut as a whole. The vocals are dark and haunting, the guitars soothing, drums low in the mix to keep a beat without becoming over bearing, everything just works. It’s almost a mood killer in some senses, but in others works as you find yourself listening harder to make sure you don’t miss anything. Close to something you would expect to hear from Metallica (when they were good), this track is a sheer triumph, and possibly my favourite on the album, mind blowing stuff.
Finishing with Sundowns Last Raise, the band leave everything on a high and you wanting more. Bass laden lead lines form the opening of the track, keeping everything dark once again and pulling you in, making you want to know what’s going to happen. Launching into a slowed down riff full of downtuned guitars and pounding drums, this track finishes the album much as it began, dark, heavy and full to the brim with hooks which grab you and don’t let go.
I find it so hard to understand how this can be a debut album from Soma Dark, it just sounds so incredibly well put together. The songs are well written and the recordings done to a professional level, but all of this pales into the background when you just listen to what the band have done. Their music isn’t simplistic metal, it’s music which changes you, evokes some change deep down and inspires you to move onwards, move towards something new – it’s incredible. This is the 211th band we’ve featured on the site since setting up, and this has to be one of the highlights, I just can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
To find out more about Soma Dark (and I advise you do!), check out their Facebook page HERE.
Check out their video to Resolute below!
