Uragh
Stalemate (EP)
Self-Released
Some music is so awe-inspiringly heavy that it stops you in your tracks, as if someone has hit the pause button and brought your life to a standstill. That’s certainly the case with ‘Perpetual’, the first song from Uragh’s latest release, Stalemate, and as introductions go it’s pretty darn perfect. It’s a track that throws down the gauntlet to more established bands, letting it be known that these young pretenders have come to claim the crown. With the rhythm section landing a succession of heavy blows, the guitar dredging riffs from the depths of hell, and a vocalist so caustic he could strip paint, this is the sound of two heavyweight boxers slugging it out and the four cuts comprising Stalemate will leave you battered, bruised and slightly punch drunk. There’s also an emotional edge to Uragh’s modus operandi, meaning that when they veer into ethereal moments (such as on the achingly-bittersweet ‘Time Heals Nothing’) they don’t forsake power. With a lyrical bent that’s as weighty as the music, detailing topics such as mental health, social alienation, and governmental overreach, Uragh are pushing the boundaries of heaviness and mapping out new realms of brutality. Welcome to the future.
Review by Peter Dennis