Brooklyn, New York sludge metal outfit SOMNURI unleashes their latest single today with an accompanying visualizer for “Death Is The Beginning.” The staggering new hymn serves as the opening track to the band’s upcoming third full-length, Desiderium, set for release on July 21st through MNRK Heavy.
Notes drummer and producer Phil SanGiacomo, “‘Death Is The Beginning’ was the first song we tracked for our new album, Desiderium. From the start, it felt like it had to be the opening track; it sets the tone and energy of the record right away.”
Adds guitarist/vocalist Justin Sherrell, “The lyrics touch on one of the main themes of the record, which is the feeling of living multiple lives or experiencing multiple realities. More specifically, this song explores the idea of recurring hardship and the cyclical nature of life and death.”
SOMNURI does not keep their feet planted in surface reality. The outfit’s flavor of heavy metal stomps from genre to genre with the fervor and confidence of a band ready to cross thresholds of all that’s perceivable and possible. Comprised of Justin Sherrell, Phil SanGiacomo, Chris Drapeau and bassist Mike G, the band has earned attention of taste-making publications like Revolver Magazine, BrooklynVegan, MetalSucks, Metal Hammer, and others and their latest effort is a testament to the band’s insatiable work ethic and cements them as one of heavy metal’s most exciting emerging acts.
Building off their previous two LPs, SOMNURI has spent the last several years hard at work writing riffs and letting their ideas distill in a marathon session of putting the songs together. The final product is Desiderium, an odyssey through a black hole of sounds and heaviness. Recorded at Gojira’s Silver Cord Studios, mixed by Justin Mantooth at Westend Studios, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Mastering, Desiderium is a true odyssey through a black hole of sounds and heaviness. Weaving their way seamlessly through a variety of tempos and sounds, the band give some well-trodden genres new roads to travel. Sherrell’s voice is insanely versatile, both able to deliver soul-filled clean vocals and some grim screams. It’s the perfect counterpoint to the band’s instrumentals, weaving a ladder between sludge, grunge, psych-rock and more.
WATCH SOMNURI 'WHAT A WAY TO GO'
Front to back, the abundant ideas and soundscapes turn Desiderium into a prism of sound. Every song is an amalgamation of what makes rock kinetic, bridging a gap between acts like Helmet, Karp, Handsome, and Quicksand with the sonic journeys of an Isis or Jesu. It’s their thirst for exploration that makes SOMNURI who they are: they’re an ascendant band, not constrained by any label or descriptor.
SOMNURI will support psychedelic doom duo Telekinetic Yeti on their US tour this July. SOMNURI’s part in the journey begins July 5th in Des Moines, Iowa and remains through July 26th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Additional support will be provided by Stinking Lizaveta. They’ll be finishing their July run with metalcore legends Zao, July 27th in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania through July 30th in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
SOMNURI w/ Telekinetic Yeti, Stinking Lizaveta:
7/06/2023 Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
7/07/2023 Aces High – Salt Lake City, UT
7/08/2023 Shredder – Boise, ID
7/11/2023 The Wise – Vancouver, BC
7/12/2023 Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
7/13/2023 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
7/14/2023 Dantes – Portland, OR
7/15/2023 John Henry’s – Eugene, OR
7/18/2023 Bottom Of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
7/19/2023 Winters Tavern – Pacifica, CA
7/20/2023 Transplants Brewery – Palmdale, CA
7/21/2023 Knitting Factory – Hollywood, CA
7/22/2023 Nile Theatre – Mesa, AZ
7/25/2023 89th St – Oklahoma City, OK
7/26/2023 Mercury Lounge – Tulsa, OK
SOMNURI w/ Zao, Narcissus:
7/27/2023 IMAC – Harrisburg, PA
7/28/2023 No Class – Cleveland, OH
7/30/2023 Preserving Underground – New Kensington, PA
