Alice in Chains, Alexisonfire, Red Fang and more: Somaa shares influences.

The band Somaa released the album , the successor to the trio's acclaimed debut album, O Mundo Quer Te Enganar (2018). The work arrives after the release of six singles, all accompanied by official music videos and various promotional activities.

In their new album, Somaa blends grunge, punk, hardcore, and indie. Exclusively to Wikimetal , vocalist and guitarist Rafael Zimath shared some of these inspirations. Check out the full list below.

1. “Them Bones” – Alice In Chains

Alice in Chains is one of the rare unanimous choices within SOMAA . Musically, it's an important reference because it synthesizes much of our music, even though we're the kind of band that isn't interested in copying our references. Our interest is in creating our own sound and language, but obviously you work with certain "ingredients" that point in a certain direction: the heaviness, riffs, but also melody, chorus, and vocal arrangements (me and Tiago Luis Pereira , drummer), so AIC is always remembered because they are brutal MASTERS in all of that.

2. “Sweet Dreams Of Otherness” – Alexisonfire

Although we can't say we're fans of the band, we really enjoyed their latest album, Otherness (2022). Alexisonfire has a pop refinement that isn't very common in post-hardcore (I'm aware that "pop" can be considered a dirty word in the metal/alternative universe, but I'm taking a risk here). I'm not particularly a fan of this metalcore (or whatever you want to call it) thing with polished production and guttural/clean vocals, but, in reality, maybe they're not exactly that. On this album, the band has evolved a lot, and things sound different from other bands that are supposedly on the same "shelf." The band's music has an elegance and urgency, organic timbres, in short, it combines attributes that we also try to bring to our sound.

3. “Wires” – Red Fang

Part of Somaa's music is a contradiction in itself: it has its "dumb" moments, with straightforward, unison riffs, but it also has arrangements that try to point in other directions and create counterpoints between the different instruments. Red Fang is great at making more direct, riff-based music and doesn't fall short of anyone who's more erudite. Sometimes, "simple" is all you need.

4. "912 steps" – Dead Fish

Besides being a very important band for Brazilian independent rock (for me, they are more than just hardcore), Dead Fish is also always a reference point, in terms of lyrics, riffs, choruses, etc. Furthermore, Rodrigo Lima is a great friend who co-wrote an awesome song with me that didn't end up on the album. "But one day it will see the light of day."

5. “Fell on black days” – Soundgarden

Another unanimous favorite. What a band! For me, they have many qualities, but one that stands out, besides the strength of the melodies, is the intelligence of the arrangements. Bass and guitar almost never play the same thing. Matt Cameron on drums is also fucking amazing and one of Tiago's great influences on the instrument.

6. “Demon in Profile” – Afghan Whigs

Tiago and I are fans of these guys. Again, here you can see the elegance in the tones, arrangements, and chords. Top-notch alt-rock! And, damn, the hooks in the melodies are always an inspiration.

7. “Solara” – The Smashing Pumpkins

Here we also have another reference for Tiago, as a drummer. This crazy guy from Smashing Pumpkins is what I usually call an octopus drummer. Absurd! Besides, Mr. Corgan is also a great composer, even if he can seem a bit annoying sometimes. But the songs are there and speak for themselves.

8. “Black Roses” – Mother's Cake

This Austrian band is a real find in recent years. I think it's amazing how they can play three or four songs in one, with great variation in dynamics, moods, and intensity. "Alívio," from our latest album, also has similar characteristics.

9. "The Grey" – Thrice

Thrice a master at creating songs with strong melodic ideas and redeeming choruses. We also appreciate the structure of their songs, which are always very well thought out and tasteful. Although they're not a new band, I always recommend Thrice's latest albums to those who keep saying there aren't any good rock bands anymore.

10. “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” – Megadeth

Perhaps the best thrash metal song ever (#controversial)? Technically, Megadeth has nothing to do with what we do in Somaa. However, Ned (bass) and I are big fans of the band (and of metal). There's a nostalgic aspect to it too, of course, because Megadeth was one of those first bands discovered by kids with pimples, black t-shirts, and enjoying albums with skulls. That kind of thing is usually a gateway, and we're still crazy about that stuff today. "Heavy Metal Albums," from our new album, talks a lot about all of that, including in the music video we made for the song.

11. "South of Things" – Los Porongas

This band from Acre is also inspiring in terms of songwriting, with interesting arrangements and great care dedicated to the lyrics. Writing in Portuguese isn't a simple task, but we believe that Brazilian independent rock (and national music in general) benefits greatly from works dedicated to our language. The musicality of the Portuguese language, while more challenging than English, also offers other possibilities.

12. "Mania de Perseguição" – Molho Negro

Another current Brazilian band that we like and even played with once. I think they have many similarities to us, same career length, common references, they are also a trio and were even produced by the same guy ( Gabriel Zander ).

13. “Ashes to Ashes” – Faith No More

Another unanimous favorite within Somaa, and one that greatly influences our lyrics, melodies, and arrangements. When we were recording, we remembered this chorus when rearranging the chorus of "Fuga ao Contrário".

14. "Difficult to understand" – Ratos de Porão

Ratos is also a formative band for me. I think Jão is a fantastic guitarist and I love the way he writes heavy riffs, with dissonances and that punk finish.

15. “The Hand That Feeds” – Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails is awesome. A band with great albums, songs, and the brilliant mind of Trent Reznor. Again, here we have other masters of melody, composition, choruses, all accompanied by a certain experimentalism.