I’ll get this out the way early doors – “Splendidula”. Is it an artificial sweetener or a quote from either the B.F.G or Mary Poppins?
No Sir or Madam, Splendidula is a Doom/Psyche/Sludge outfit from Genk in Belgium. Somnus is their third album following a self-titled release in 2013 and Post Mortem in 2018.
Is he music Splendiddlyocious? Well let’s see.
The main selling point for Splendidula is the mix of vocals between the stoner/doom/psyche of Kristien Cools and the harsh rasps of Pieter Houben – fire and ice as Spinal Tap opined. An issue with that is the reality of combining hose element – lukewarm water.
Unfortunately, that is what Somnus is. Sleepy and tepid. It is not a bad album, it is just not that interesting.
The opening track “Somnia” featues screams from Kristien that are surely meant to be anguished but are cod Hammer hysterical. There are some great riffs in this track and an interesting psyche guitar break but Kristien’s atonal vocals are hard on the ear. When she hits the more soaring heights, she sounds great and Pieter’s clean and rasped vocals are a welcome addition.
After a few listens this album warms up a little and “Occulus” has some big riffs in it that had my head bobbing along with its grandiosity. Elsewhere tracks like “Drocht” and “Incubus” sound jumbled and a little cliched. The mix is all over the show. What should be bright and clean is stuffed in the background and swamped by a rumble that is not bombastic enough to lead the way.
The final track – the nine minute opus “When God Comes Down” is a highlight . Big doomy Paradise Lost riffs, whispered passages and an arabesque vocal line reminiscent of Ofra Haza. Again the mix is slightly off – the swirling of the sound whilst in keeping with the vibe is a little Chrisopher Nolan in its ability to offset the eardrum.
Splendidula have a lot of great ideas but have not found a credible way to use them in an interesting or coherent way. Worth a quick listen though.
(6.5 /10 Matt Mason)
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