About Sui Generis Umbra

Sui Generis Umbra is an industrial band from Poland. Their name is of Latin origin and means 'phantom that is different from everything else' whereas 'phantom' is something that exists but only in your imagination. There is no so-called 'history' as Sui Generis Umbra has almost no features of a regular band. As eLL claims, it exists somewhere in the space since ever. eLL and Maciej are mere souls who simply try to render the Energy audible. The whole story started thanks to the Lady. "I had explicit vision of the atmosphere that was to be created. I knew exactly what I wanted to hear. It is unutterable fortune I met Maciej then. Not only was he eager to offer his help but also he did get Sui Generis Umbra's meaning." - explains eLL in an interview for Ultima Comparatio, a magazine from USA. eLL and Maciej decided that their music way to fans' will be a bit different from other debuting bands. They focused mainly on feeling and emotions as the essence of art, not concentrating so much on the technique. Their start at the music scene was also not typical. Directly, without presenting any demos, Sui Generis Umbra (the band was named simply Umbra back then) recorded and released the whole material called "Ater" in 1999 on Fluttering Dragon Records, an underground label from Warsaw. "Ater" was their first album title and is a mixture of ambient elements which try to conquer your minds and stir emotions. "Ater", quite often compared to Norwegian project of two witches Aghast, is not an easy thing, for the simple reason that it seems to be a very introspective journey through very personal sensations and emotions and so very close to your own essences. Dark and gloomy mood, sometimes frightening to death. eLL's incredible voice guides you during this unholy journey. Then Sui Generis Umbra got into collaboration with Norwegian band Ildfrost (originating from cult label Cold Meat Industry). The result of this meeting is a split titled "Possum Play Falcon", also released on Fluttering Dragon Rec. Simultaneously they took part in compilation "Temple of Kilowatts" where many talented ambient bands featured with their tracks they specially composed for the event. Sui Generis Umbra was the only one that represented the Polish scene. In September 2002 the band signed a contract with Metal Mind Prod and their second album titled "Coma" was released in November. The music on this album is considered to be different from everything that has ever been created in this genre. Well, it's high time you checked if the reviewers were right! Now read the word 'coma' from back to front and you will get the title of the latest SGU's album: "Amok". This third album was released in June 2004 and was followed by shows at Castle Party Festival (Poland) and Menuo Juodaragis Festival (Lithuania), which gathered the biggest audiences and made them run amok. Discography 1999 - Ater (Flutering Dragon Records) 2002 - Possum Play Falcon (split with Ildfrost, Flutering Dragon Records) 2002 - Coma (Metal Mind Records, MMP CD 0193) 2004 - Amok (Metal Mind Productions, MMP CD 0256) Line-up eLL - vocals, lyrics Maciej Niedzielski - music Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SuiGenerisUmbra