Soma (UK) -- discography

I first heard of Soma during the early 90s in an interview with Whitstable band Crow, where they were mentioned as a band that had overplayed their support slot, forcing Crow to have their set cut short after only one song. After years of wondering about them, I accidentally stumbled upon some information on the band, and subsequently tracked down their material. As far as I can tell they were based in Sheerness, Kent.

Soma's music drifts from psychedelic space-rock in the vein of Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles, to epic and haunting prog-rock in the classic British tradition (Yes, Genesis etc.). This latter aspect takes a more dominant role on the second album. However, they manage to avoid the trap of relying on difficult rhythms and odd time signatures; this all flows quite nicely. It is also very slick and well-produced, though some of the keyboard sounds haven't dated as well as the rest of the music. That minor quibble aside, this is great stuff. The original singer was replaced after the first album, and the replacement (Sean Filkins, later of Lorien and Big Big Train) has a much stronger voice, sounding very much like a rawer Jon Anderson.

Some band info

Soma -- "Epsilon" CD (1991)

01. Being - Ghandarva
02. My Skin (Turns The Colour Of Sand)
03. Prophecy - Inquisitor 4
04. The Conquest Of Albion
05. The Longbarrow
06. Twisting The Folds Of Time - Psionics N'om N'om N'om

Download

Soma -- "Warped EP" cassette (1992)

01. My Skin
02. Oceana
03. Dreamtime
04. Warped

Download

Soma -- "Dreamtime" CD (1992)

01. Listen
02. Losing It
03. Dreamtime
04. Suffocating
05. Illusion
06. Pulsar

Download



Note: The CDs are my own rip, the EP is a 128kps rip I found lurking on the net. If anyone has a better quality copy (or an original to sell), please get in touch.