
Ad somnum
-- Splendidula --
10/01/2021
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Doom Metal |
■ | Psychedelic metal |
■ | Sludge metal |
Album artists:
■ | Kristien | Vocals |
■ | David | Guitar |
■ | Pieter | Guitar, vocals |
■ | Peter | Bass |
■ | Joachim | Drums |
Review
written by Stijn “Metal Shredder” Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
Splendidula
is a band that I first saw live in late 2017 during the first edition of
Doomsday, a festival dedicated to doom & sludge metal. During that evening
I also shredded Splendidula (read it here: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/92)
and a year later I shredded their second album, the impressive “Post-Mortem”
(read it here: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/118).
And this month, Splendidula will be releasing their third album “Somnus!” I’ve
already did some shredding of this album beforehand, so let’s now shred through
this one completely!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“Somnus” is
the third album from the Belgian doom & sludge metal band Splendidula. It’s
released via the Italian record label Argonauta Records and sent to us by our
German friends called All Noir.
The album
begins with “Somnia,” an excellent single with a crunching main riff which
feels both menacing and hypnotic, narrated by slow and soft vocals and backed
by groovy melodies that sound reminiscent of bands like Black Sabbath and Mastodon.
You can read more about this great opening track in the single review I’ve
written back in September (read it here: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/235).
Next up is “Void,” a song whose heart first beats by the tunes of faster,
rocking beats with lengthy, typically doom metal roars from guitarist Pieter before
Kristien gradually takes over lead vocal duties as the song slows down but with
Pieter still growling in the background. Eventually the song speeds up again
and then Pieter changes his singing to a clean, operatic style to further
complement Kristien’s moody singing.
Then comes “Incubus,”
which begins with pounding war-like drums and an eerie Dutch monologue wherein
Kristien describes her tarnished soul getting suffocated by advancing darkness
before being seduced by a shadowy creature, represented by Pieter’s hallow
screams and grinding guitars that continue along this deliciously creepy track.
“Oculus” continues in the same vein as the previous track, another slow and
thunderous song wherein Kristien’s usual angelic singing goes along with Pieter’s
usual guttural growling.
The
album’s second single “Drocht” is next on the album. After a gentle opening this tune explodes into
a barrage of whispers, shrieks, grinding riffs, pounding drums and an epic guitar
solo. And finally there’s the album’s 9 and a half minute long ending “When God
Comes Down.” A song that opens with a long, peaceful guitar section that
eventually expands to include drums, chants, growls, groovy sludge melodies and
all the other excellent ingredients that constitute Splendidula’s sound.
From day
one I’ve felt that Splendidula’s sound created a seductive yet also nightmarish
atmosphere and this new “Somnus” release further enhances this feel. The
guitars are attention grabbing because of their sonic heaviness. The songs’
sudden transitions from moody intimacy to earthshaking power and back, along
with the combination of clean female and harsh male vocals give the material an
unpredictable feel. Compared to Splendidula’s earlier work, the songs on “Somnus”
feature slower, heavier riffs while the vocals are more varied but just as
enticing as always. Simply put, Splendidula has taken the strongest elements
from their older stuff and further amplified it, resulting in a very consistent
release of high-quality doom and sludge metal.

[SHREDDING VISION]
Dark themes
have always been Splendidula’s playground and their latest full-length is no
exception. Darkness, fear, death, nightmares, spirituality, unholy creatures of
shadow and impending doom are all topics featured in “Somnus” and they all fit perfectly
with the equally brooding music and atmosphere this album provokes.
“Somnus”
cover art features Somnus, the Roman god of sleep who has black wings on both sides of his head and who's name obviously inspired this Splendidula album. A very sober and somber image that doesn’t really
evoke any feelings with me. Still, it’s the music that’s Splendidula’s greatest
trait, so let’s talk some more about that!
[SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
My top pick
goes to the album’s finale “When God Comes Down.” The song begins by slowly but
deliberately building up towards its intense later parts as more and more elements
of Splendidula’s sound join in. A perfect introduction for newcomers to Splendidula.
While the
band did feature some lyrics in Dutch I hope they’ll be writing a fully Dutch
song in the future. I believe our mother tongue is quite suitable for this kind
of dreary music and I’m quite curious to see how Splendidula will pull this
off. Quite well, I believe!
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
8,5 lost
souls out of 10. With their third release, Splendidula has further improved
upon their successful formula of thunderous doom riffs, enticing female and
brutal male vocals and groovy sludge melodies to create a seductive yet nightmarish
realm of pure darkness. Here’s “Drocht!”