SOMNIA FINEM interview

 1.      Hi there! Fernando Pessoa has become one of those cultural figures frequently invoked but less frequently understood. At what point did Livro do Desassossego stop being literary inspiration and become the actual foundation of SOMNIA FINEM?

and especially for your interest in Fernando Pessoa, one of Portugal's greatest literary figures. Honestly, the connection with Pessoa’s disquiet came later. The musical composition already existed and remained in a drawer for some years, in fact. Later, after hearing the work, Pesadelo encouraged his partner, with whom he had collaborated on other projects, to release it. That was when Sonho approached me, knowing that I was reasonably familiar with Pessoa’s work, and asked me to write the lyrics and draw inspiration specifically from The Book of Disquiet, since that was the concept he wanted to explore in this project. And then, everything came together naturally, as if the music, lyrics, voice, and concept had always belonged together. Everything made sense once we started assembling the pieces. Especially because the lyrics had not been written for this purpose either—they were written over the course of past years.

2. The press material describes the album as a "black metal manifesto", yet Livro do Desassossego is famously uncertain, fragmented and introspective. Manifestos usually seek certainty. Pessoa often seemed to distrust it. How do those opposing forces coexist within this record?

It is a “manifesto” if you consider it as a distinctive statement of the band's identity, despite the individual “fragmentation”. The Somnia Finem triangle follows a very clearly defined path, and interestingly, those paths are distinct from one another, yet converge in the same direction, creating something new with a strong and unmistakable identity. Perhaps this is something very Pessoa-like: Pessoa was multiple and distinct, yet unmistakably recognizable through all his many facets. As Pessoa once stated “Everything is One.” In Somnia Finem, we have quite different sensitivities, but we share the same voice in this project.

3. Many black metal albums are driven by conflict against something - religion, society, modernity, morality. Desassossego feels different, almost as if the struggle occurs entirely within consciousness itself. Is that a fair reading?

Absolutely. As I mentioned earlier, the lyrics already existed. Some of them are many years old and were born from that inner conflict that all of us experience—with greater or lesser intensity, awareness, rebellion, and pain. These lyrics emerged from moments of conflict between the Self and the external world, the social constraints and the false morality of restrictive conventions. They arose from the frustration of feeling like like “a giant trapped inside a dwarf’s body” (Almas de gigantes presas em corpos de anões). It’s the old poetic and philosophical theme of the tragic awareness of human existence. Therefore, it wasn’t difficult to connect them with Pessoa’s own themes, which he explored better than almost anyone else.

4. Portugal possesses a rich literary tradition, yet relatively few underground metal bands seem willing to engage with it beyond superficial references. Why do you think literature remains such an underutilized source within extreme music?

A very interesting question. Indeed, even looking only at Portugal, there is no shortage of sources expressing themes that align closely with Black Metal: introspection, misanthropy, existential revolt, anti-religious sentiment, cultural identity, spirituality, and transcendence.

Fernando Pessoa, with his multiplicity, touches many of these themes, but we have other remarkable authors as well: Miguel Torga, Antero de Quental, José Régio, to name only a few. Perhaps there is a fear that using literature might be seen as literal copying rather than a genuinely creative process, at least in terms of lyrics. In Somnia Finem, as well, the lyrics are original, they merely contain a few quotations from The Book of Disquiet to create a guiding thread and connection to the concept.

Why not draw directly from literary works, especially those already in the public domain, when they often possess greater depth and quality than much contemporary writing? It is certainly something worth considering, especially because I believe that from now on there will be a great deal of AI-assisted creation that is not openly acknowledged.

5. One aspect I find interesting is that Livro do Desassossego was published posthumously and in an unfinished state, assembled from fragments. Did that incompleteness influence the structure of Desassossego in any way?

Not consciously. However, looking at the final result, we must curiously conclude that it did influence it. Looking back, that's actually quite surprising to me. The musical composition already existed, the lyrics had been written at different times and under different circumstances, and all of it eventually became a single work that is both unified and diverse at the same time—much like The Book of Disquiet itself.

6. The album apparently took shape over a three-year period. Was there a danger that prolonged development would dilute the original vision, or did the material require that amount of time to reach its final form?

I believe that this temporal dilution created exactly the ideal conditions for the birth of the disquiet concept. The music and the lyrics simply waited until the right moment to find each other. There is something profoundly poetic, almost mystical, about that.

7. You are presented as operating within black metal while simultaneously communicating something foreign to the genre. Did that happen naturally, or were there moments where you consciously rejected established black metal expectations?

It happened naturally, but also because there was a conscious intention to create something different in some way. The genre is so overloaded with “innovations” and productions made “in the style of” something else that it is difficult to create something with a distinct identity while still preserving the characteristics traditionally associated with the genre.

This identity—what defines Somnia Finem—will certainly alienate many listeners, but that is precisely what makes sense. It will not sound like something indistinct and interchangeable with countless other bands, something that can be heard without discomfort and leaves no mark.

8. Southern European black metal has often occupied a strange position within the underground. It rarely receives the same mythological treatment as Scandinavia, yet it has produced some of the genre's most distinctive voices. Do you feel connected to a specifically southern tradition?

It is undeniable that Scandinavia, beginning in the 1990s, spread its influence and inspiration throughout the world within this genre. That is beyond dispute. However, as creators, we do not bind ourselves to references, regardless of where they come from.

I think this perception of a “southern” identity emerged more from Signal Rex’s description of the album. We respect that perspective, but as far as the creative process itself is concerned, the goal was to conceive something with singularity and its own identity.

We know this isn't music designed for a broad audience. It's aimed at listeners who can connect with what we're trying to express. That does not mean those who do not understand it lack value; it simply means it does not resonate with them. We accepted that possibility and we even thought the album might appeal only to Portuguese audiences, but your own interest proves otherwise. Honestly, we find that genuinely fascinating.

9. The phrase "dark romanticism" appears repeatedly when discussing Desassossego. Romanticism has become another word that black metal often borrows without examination. What aspects of romantic thought genuinely resonate with SOMNIA FINEM?

It resonates in the elements that evoke the spirit of early Romanticism and which are present musically in the intros: the connection to the past through the sound of the steam train and João Domingos Bomtempo’s classical piece; and the connection to nature through the sound of the sea in “Sonho Lúcido.” It also resonates in the lyrics, through the themes already mentioned and so deeply present in Romanticism.

10. Black metal has always been obsessed with atmosphere, but atmosphere is perhaps the most abused word in the genre. When writing music, how do you distinguish atmosphere from simple obscurity or vagueness?

From what I know of Sonho, he embodies many different artistic personas and he has an ability to absorb influences from many different environments. His compositions never seek to be deliberately dark or malicious—those emotions have become rather commonplace within the genre. However, he demonstrates a particular interest in Romanticism, that’s a fact. As he usually puts it “Black Metal must be like steel cutting through flesh—nothing more”.

11. There is a curious tension between technical capability and emotional expression throughout the album. The musicians clearly possess considerable skill, yet the music never feels interested in displaying it. Was restraint an important part of the creative process?

What a perceptive observation! It is completely accurate. According to Sonho, there was indeed a deliberate intention not to over-ornament the compositions. It was a genuine inner struggle, because it would be very easy to add two or three extra bass notes, another guitar line, another harmony or embellishment that would have worked perfectly well. However, throughout the composition process, there was a real effort to resist that impulse, even if not always consciously.

If you seek something more elaborate and complex, that can be heard in Penitência (Sonho’s other project), where everything is deliberately built upon layers of ornamentation. Here, the intention was to create something simpler, yet equally intense. In the end, that tension helped shape the album’s final result.

12. Underground black metal currently seems divided between two extremes - hyper-polished artistic experimentation and intentionally primitive traditionalism. Do you feel at home in either camp?

This question was also answered by Sonho who claims that there is no room for such divisions. After many years experiencing music from different perspectives—as a listener, as an audience member— the conclusion is that Black Metal should have no rules. It should be nothing other than Freedom. Even when the emotions generated seem to suggest otherwise, Black Metal should ultimately be an expression of absolute personal freedom.

13. The Portuguese language carries a unique rhythm and melancholy that can be difficult to translate. Do you think certain emotional qualities of Desassossego would be impossible to communicate in English?

I think this touches on the broader issue of poetic translation. What truly defines poetry is rhythm and the construction of imagery through unexpected associations between words and images, and both of these aspects are inseparably linked to the language in which they are expressed.

I would very much like a translation of the lyrics which might preserved the rhythm and impact of certain images, allowing listeners who don't speak the language to feel the same emotional impact.

14. Pessoa famously wrote through multiple heteronyms - different identities with distinct voices and philosophies. Has that concept of fragmented selfhood influenced SOMNIA FINEM beyond the literary framework of the album?

Somnia Finem is currently made up of different individuals rather than fragmented identities. Desassossego gives voice to fragmentation, certainly—this is the expression of the album, its voice and identity. What Somnia Finem will do in the future remains something to be defined, something to be discovered within ourselves and through the reception of this album.

15. If someone unfamiliar with Pessoa hears Desassossego and experiences exactly the same emotional disorientation as a reader encountering Livro do Desassossego for the first time, would that represent success - or would you hope the music ultimately leads somewhere the book does not?

We don't claim to aim that high, but if that were to happen, we would be deeply honoured. In fact, the reception of the album has shown us that even abroad, knowledge of Pessoa is not limited to literary circles. Within musical circles, there are reactions that clearly echo that familiarity. That brings an added sense of responsibility. However, it was never our intention to emulate Pessoa or to promote him—as if he needed such promotion.

As we've said before, Pessoa and The Book of Disquiet provided a framework through which our own sense of fragmentation could be expressed. The book became a natural vehicle for exploring the disquiet that defines us as human beings.

https://somniafinem.bandcamp.com/album/desassossego