The twin metal giants of Metallica and Gojira loom large over the new album from progressive sludge band URNE. They don’t let this get in the way of them though as with Setting Fire To The Sky, they have created an album which could very well take them to the giddy heights of those two bands. Already causing a stir on the underground, URNE now look ready to take the next step up on the worlds stages.
The confidence that exudes from tracks such as the opener ‘Be Not Dismayed’, which starts with the obligatory acoustic start before throwing in some rather crunching riffs, shows how far they have travelled from their previous two albums, whilst also keeping true to their sound. This confidence is again on show on the title track, a behemoth which threatens to destroy your speakers in a haze of sludge filled angst.
They can do anthemic too, as ‘The Spirit, Alive’ testifies, but the main aim here is not to provide the listener with an easy access, but to challenge them, and throughout the album there are flourishes of guitar riffs which consistently seek to push the music forward. Never wanting to stay in one place for too long, it’s progressive thrash against a production which is as heavy as Bob Rock’s on Metallica’s Black Album. Loud, crunchy, and heavy as fuck.
A byproduct of this is the phenomenal rhythm section of Joe Nally on bass (and vocals), and James Cook on drums. Indeed, that there is only Angus Neyra on guitars to balance this out as a three piece is again testament to their abilities to create a sound which is as immersive as this. It does bring a resolute tightness to their sound though, and on a track such as ‘Towards The Harmony Hall’ you can hear the tension in the music which comes from being a three piece. It’s that nervous tautness that you find in any classic three piece band. It’s even more incredible when the song, later on, evolves into an extended harmonic interlude before exploded in a bout of violet riffage.
They are later joined by Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders on ‘Harken The Waves’, then on final track Jo Quail provides some brilliant cello work. Two artists from completely disparate areas of work yet bound together by a constant urge to experiment. The former sound is one of the highlights of the album and takes a long, twisty excursion through various stages of progressive heaviness.
There’s no doubt that URNE are reaching out for the larger stages here, and based on this album they should by all rights be absolutely massive. They have certainly staked themselves a claim as belonging aside peers such as Gojira and Mastodon, and the summer festival appearances should see their stock rise. Don’t wait around though and grab a copy of this album as soon as you can before everyone starts talking about it. A release which should signal the arrival of a major player on the metal scene.
