SOMNENT - Heirloom

We begin our journey into Heirloom with 'A Voice Of Inner Child', where carefully placed piano notes and fragile female vocals immediately establish a distinctive sense of melancholy. For me, the music almost feels like the perfect accompaniment to the album's cover artwork, depicting a woman lying in an old-fashioned casket, surrounded by windows adorned with flowers. It brings to mind the Victorian tradition of preserving photographs or locks of hair as mourning keepsakes, treasured reminders of those who had passed away. There is something deeply moving about this connection, particularly considering the album's themes of grief, memory and the emotional burdens we carry through life. The delicate interplay between piano and vocals captures that sentiment beautifully, making this a wonderfully restrained and emotionally resonant introduction. 

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'Throne Aflame' follows a similarly restrained approach, with hypnotic drumming and distorted guitars gradually joining the fragile, melancholic melodies. Rather than overpowering them, the heavier instrumentation adds depth while preserving the song's emotional character. Clean vocals emerge with a gentle, almost narrative quality, supported by the steady rhythm section, while the guttural passages bring a commanding presence and a harsher edge. What I particularly enjoy is how naturally both vocal styles complement each other without either taking centre stage. It is this careful balance between vulnerability and heaviness that makes 'Throne Aflame' such an engaging composition.

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Ominous sounds starting 'King Of Ruin' slowly creep into the foreground, accompanied by a woman's spoken prayer. Yet there is nothing particularly comforting or reassuring about this scene. Raw, distorted guitars introduce a melancholic melody, while delicate clean vocals seem to float alongside what sounds like a string instrument. The fragile arrangement eventually gives way to a heavier passage, driven by commanding drums and deep, guttural growls. A brief moment of respite during the bridge allows the music to breathe before crushing doom-laden riffs and almost ritualistic singing take over, guiding the composition towards its final moments. As the song fades, the opening prayer returns in a whisper, bringing everything full circle while leaving behind a lingering sense of unease.

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In 'Where Silence Dwells', a heavy yet melodic wall of sound introduces hushed, throaty vocals, almost as though speaking any louder might awaken something best left undisturbed. And then it comes: deep, commanding growls, supported by precisely placed drumming that accentuates every shift in intensity. Between these contrasting vocal passages, slow but purposeful percussion and subtle underlying melodies keep the music moving forward. What I particularly love are the clean vocals, barely rising above a whisper yet carrying a deeply heartfelt vulnerability, while the harsher delivery seems to answer with an almost malevolent fury. This striking contrast gives the song its emotional power, allowing fragility and anger to coexist without either losing its impact. 

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We close our journey through Heirloom with 'The Feeding Hand', where the opening clean vocals carry an unmistakable sense of longing in every word. The instrumentation mirrors this emotion through slow, melodic passages, while the bass, although sitting further back in the mix, feels like that sudden, painful pinch in your chest when a memory you desperately wish to forget resurfaces. Around the middle, a dual-vocal section introduces a new emotional dimension, particularly when the clean singing reaches higher notes and takes on an almost wounded quality. A personal highlight is the guitar work during the bridge, beginning with a simple yet heartfelt melody before developing into a beautiful, expressive riff, only to be interrupted by another deep guttural vocal performance. The song eventually draws to a close with faint, eerie choral voices beneath steady, heavy instrumentation, leaving behind a lingering sense of sorrow.

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With "Heirloom", SOMNENT delivers a deeply personal and emotionally compelling journey through grief, painful memories and the wounds left behind by the past. Delicate melodies, heartfelt clean vocals and crushing death/doom passages intertwine beautifully, allowing vulnerability and anger to coexist without overshadowing one another. What makes this album particularly moving is its ability to translate complex emotions into music, whether through a barely audible whisper, a sorrowful guitar melody or the sheer force of guttural growls. Every contrast feels purposeful, giving "Heirloom" a sincerity that is difficult to ignore. Some wounds never truly heal, but SOMNENT gives them a voice through music that is as vulnerable as it is powerful.

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SCORE 9/10

REVIEWED BY SWAMPY

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