Sonus Umbra - Liminality

Sonus Umbra – Liminality

Progrock.com Essentials

Liminality, the new album by Sonus Umbra, feels less like a traditional band effort and more like a deeply personal statement from bassist and founder Luis Nasser. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Louis required two major operations to remove it. While in intensive care—and heavily medicated—he experienced hallucinations, describing it as a period where "my brain became an antenna."

Nasser composed the album in two distinct suites, beginning with Electronic Dead Music Part 1: The Night I Died (followed by two sequels) and Electronic Dead Music Part 2 (with three sequels).

To bring this visions to life, he gathered his fantastic bandmates: vocalist Steve Katsikas (who also handles keyboards and saxophone), acoustic and electric guitarists Tim McCarkey and Rich Poston, drummer Thor Bremer, flautist Steve Royce, and cellist David Keller. Together, they execute Nasser’s work with incredible sensitivity. You can genuinely hear his struggles and suffering etched into the music.

It is a deeply moving record—poignant and melancholic at times, yet ultimately uplifting with a reassuring sense that things will turn out all right. It is progressive, varied, intricate, and genuinely beautiful. Above all, while it is a full band production, it remains a profoundly personal journey for Luis Nasser. He survived, and he can be immensely proud of this release.