Illudium premiere a music video for the first single »Soma Sema« taken from their sophomore album »Ash Of The Womb«

Northern California’s dreamgaze/post-rock outfit Illudium premiere a music video for the first single »Soma Sema« taken from their sophomore album, »Ash Of The Womb«, set to release on October 15th, 2021 via Prophecy Productions.

The song represents “the overarching theme of the album, of death within the womb and life within the tomb” according to guitarist and vocalist Shantel Amundson.

Tracklist:
01. Aster
02. Sempervirens
03. Soma Sema
04. Ätopa
05. Madrigal
06. Where Death And Dreams Do Manifest

Shantel comments: “The anticipation is over at last. »Ash Of The Womb« will be out October 15th on Prophecy Productions. Available on vinyl (black and limited edition ‘ash grey’) and Digipak CD. You can listen to the first single off the album »Soma Sema« streaming now on all platforms.”

From Prophecy Productions:

»Soma Sema« is about freedom from the fetters of the body, the principles of our attachment to the earth and our subsequent release. It is about the turbulence and suffering we encounter throughout our lives, physically and spiritually. The song itself is representative of the overarching theme of the album, of death within the womb and life within the tomb. Maternal mortality and posthumous birth is a topic that is very personal to me, and something I sought to honor in this song. But it can also be applied, as is the intention with this album, to our relationship with Earth, our impact on its ecosystems, and the exploitation of the natural world for the progression of human purposes.

»Ash Of The Womb«, the sophomore full-length from California’s Illudium was born in the fiery pandemonium of the burning season of 2020 when huge tracts of the sunshine state went up in flames, while skies glowed orange at night. The many layers of dark and harsh metal shading on this album can easily be seen as a residue from those events. Yet the listener will still encounter those sun-drenched textures and honey-rich passages from the band’s beginning on »Septem« (2016) that reflect the beautiful landscapes of the Pacific Northwest with its redwood forests and the blue ocean that also inspire Illudium. Mastermind Shantel Amundson spent her formative years listening to The Smashing Pumpkins, Isis, Kate Bush, and Cocteau Twins among many others, which makes it difficult to pin her own music down.

While »Ash Of The Womb« clearly builds on and expands »Septem«, the new album intensifies the darker and heavier elements, which results in a more dynamic and holistic musical experience that Illudium elegantly balance against their dreamy and sophisticated side. Taking their name from a concept coined by Mircae Eliade, Illudium can be seen as the musical embodiment of the religious philosopher’s idea of “illud tempus” (“that time”), which is referring to the mythical sacred time of the first creation of this world. With a degree in cultural anthropology and art history, it is hardly surprising that Shantel’s lyrics revolve around mystical and metaphysical ideas. With »Ash Of The Womb«, Illudium have created an equally heavier, darker and yet more honey-combed vision of their musical exploration that gently asks for extra attention and diligent listening before revealing its true depths.

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well