Sunnata Announce Chasing Shadows Coming May 10; New Single “Chimera” Posted
If you keep up with Sunnata on social media, I’m not sure how much of this info will be new to you, as the Polish prog-heavy ritualists have been talking about their new album, Chasing Shadows, for a while now and posted “Saviours Raft” as a first single from it. But the May 10 release date is an occasion I want to mark, and between that and the finalized (as much as these things ever are) tour dates, opening cut “Chimera” as the second single, and the details about the LP, I figure fair enough to post. Truth be told, I’ve heard the record at this point and this is information I’ll want later to review. As to the thing itself, I’m just getting to know it, so I’m not going to dig into absolutes or pretend I’m ready to have something substantive to offer as far as an opinion, but if you’ve been looking forward to it, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
More to come, then. Same as ever for release announcements. Fine. As you take on “Chimera,” understand it’s the beginning of a larger unfolding, and if you can put your body someplace where Sunnata are going to be, I recommend you do that. Either way you go, immersed is where you’re headed.
Onward:
Polish doom band Sunnata announce new album Chasing Shadows; release haunting new single
Single ‘Chimera’ streaming now
Band are touring Europe / UK from May
Feral wilderness prophets Sunnata, (sanskr. noun emptiness, voidness) have announced their fifth full-length album Chasing Shadows will be self-released on 10th May. Ahead of the album, the band have released their beguiling new single ‘Chimera’ with accompanying music visualiser.
Pre-order Chasing Shadows here: https://sunnataofficial.bandcamp.com/album/chasing-shadows
Sunnata commented on the new single: “‘Chimera’, the opening track from Chasing Shadows, manifests the presence of duality across the entire universe. Just like a mythical hybrid creature, the song is a bizarre mix of different genres and ideas, glued together into a compelling passage. From a blast beat and Pattonesque vocals, through a ceremonial trance-inducing build-up to a heavy, rock n rolling riffage, ‘Chimera’ proves to be an amalgamation, binding those pieces together to form a single entity.
“The song’s lyrics bind many paradoxes together, posing them as something inherent to reality. Dreamy recall of hinduistic Maya sets the tone of the piece – an ever-evolving appearance, an ever-changing shape. The cycle of life – the one who comes from the horizon and goes away – is prevalent like an imperative. Those who try to deny it and shape the world to their individual needs are fighting for the cause that is unreachable.
“The evolution binds units together, but also sets them apart. Paradoxes are part of us. Only the one, who is born and dead at the same time, prevails.”
The four piece Warsaw-based doom metal magi have been paving their own way to higher metal skies since their 2014 debut Climbing The Colossus. Their spellbinding sophomore album Zorya (2016) made the band gather even more momentum with regard to the European alternative heavy scene. Third album Outlands (2018) brilliantly brought out even more character, confidently crossing the frontier of progressive doom to land in even more melancholic and mind-expanding alleys. Fourth release Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth (2021) was their most transcendent, melding together all the heaviness, intensity and tenderness into a graceful, cross-pollinating form, to create something incredible that grabbed the attention of fans and press worldwide, demanding attention and respect.
Chasing Shadows sees Sunnata expanding their sonic spectrum with their most complex record to date. Exploring both the most extreme aspects and subtle incarnations of their essence, Chasing Shadows is a mind-altering doomscape painted with everlasting, captivating stories. Hitting high notes in the eyes of fans and journalists, from here Sunnata are free to roam wherever.
Commenting on the album: “The fifth album for a band like ours is no joke. We are extremely proud on one hand, but also exhausted on the other as the creative process pushed us to the current limits. It’s the most complex and longest Sunnata record to date. Filled with nuances, genre blends and confident expansion of the band’s sound spectrum. Anyone familiar with our discography can easily tell that both change and experimentation are part of our nature, but at the same time – the constant need to push ourselves outside of the comfort zone, go beyond – is what stretches one’s limits. Maybe this is why we liked the title so much – we are chasing the uncatchable – shadows, illusions, visions and try to frame them with our musical language.”
Known for their expressive and atmospheric live performances, Sunnata have already taken part in various international festivals and been invited to open for Mastodon, Paradise Lost, Entombed AD, Rotting Christ, Sleep, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and The Sword. To celebrate the album release Sunnata will hit the road this summer on the following dates.
May 10: (PL) Warsaw – Hybrydy – Release Party
May 13: (CZ) Brno, Kabinet Muz
May 14: (HU) Budapest, Robot
May 15: (AT) Salzburg, Rockhouse
May 16: (DE) Jena, Klub Kuba
May 17: (BE) Liege, La Zone
May 18: (UK) London, Desertfest
May 20: (FR) Lille, La Bulle Cafe
May 21: (BE) Brussels, Le Lac
May 22: (NL) Nijmegen, Merelyn
May 23: (DE) Dresden, Ostpol
May 24: (PL) Poznan, 2Progi
May 25: (PL) Cracow, Studio
May 31: (DK) Esbjerg, Fuzztival Esbjerg
Aug 17: (UK) ArcTanGent
Tickets available at: https://www.atonal.agency/tickets
Sunnata are:
Szymon Ewertowski – guitar, vocals
Adrian Gadomski – guitar, vocals
Michal Dobrzanski – bass guitar/synth
Robert Ruszczyk – drums, percussion
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