It’s not that you are unforgiven. It’s not that I want to punish you for the catalogue of unthinking cruelties; words and actions that built a dark prison around the days of my childhood - days that, in my memories at least, should be endless summer, not tears and shadows. I know that you learned your life lessons from generations of broken teachers, whose baleful influence never leaves you, a constant presence in that house like a coterie of hateful ghosts. But I won’t carry this burden any further down the road. You will not haunt me as you have been haunted. I will not lose more years, puzzling at the complexities of indoctrinated guilt, my fingers bloody as they worry at that Gordian knot. I am cutting myself free and severing the ties that bind…
Severed Ties is the magnificent new single from Floridian doom metal entity, Somnent. Summoned into existence in 2015 by multi-instrumentalist Giovanni Antonio Vigliotti – who still performs all instruments and vocals on the band’s studio recordings to this day – Somnent’s music is intensely emotional and deeply affecting, possessing a rare power born of its unflinching honesty and Giovanni’s ability to translate acutely personal perspectives into universally relatable themes. Severed Ties is the first new music to be released by Somnent since the outstanding 2021 album, Gardens From Graves, which was so warmly embraced by fans and critics alike and it offers everything that those who have been touched by Giovanni’s music could have hoped for; the beautifully measured progression of weighty riffs and the ethereal melody lines that caress them, the emotive lyrics enunciated with a quiet passion and the sheer depth of emotion that infuses every note. While Severed Ties is but a single song, it carries within it enough substance and worth for at least one full length album. Delivered with perfect pacing and a wonderful appreciation of space and simplicity, Severed Ties tells a tale of broken trust and the inversion of the sanctuary of family, a secret poison that has crept insidiously down through generations. It’s a song of immense sadness, but also one of hope as the seemingly endless procession of pain is finally broken…by the severing of ties.
Mixed and mastered by Jari Lindholm (Monolithe, Exgenesis, Desolator etc) Severed Ties has been blessed with a flawless sonic quality that allows the exquisite song writing and the deft nature of the performances to really shine. The accomplished nature of Somnent’s music has never been easier to appreciate. Severed Ties release on May 10th will herald a stately cavalcade of new music from Somnent that will arrive throughout 2024, so embrace this melancholic gem, let its sombre benedictions fall around you…and look to the future with hope.