London band Urne are fast gaining a strong foothold in the heavy music scene. Since 2018’s EP “The Mountain Of Gold” which set out their stall, the solid debut LP “Serpent & Spirit” firmly laid the trio’s foundations in emphatic style. So much style in fact that they caught the attention of Gojira’s Joe Duplantier who obviously knew a good thing when he heard it. Whisking them away to his Brooklyn studio, he set about recording the band’s sophomore album “A Feast On Sorrow”. This is no ordinary record though and any thoughts of “difficult second album” syndrome can be firmly pushed aside. Vocalist and bassist, Joe Nally has laid his soul bare in every respect because the subject matter for the whole album deals with dementia, deterioration, loss and most significantly his own personal experiences of this terrible disease within his own family.
The sense of immediacy on opening track “The Flood Came Rushing In” is powerful. Super tight riffs in a Sylosis-meets-Opeth swirl form the platform for Joe Nally’s passionate vocals. Through the desperate screams there’s a certain clarity that allows you to hear these emotions being laid bare. The musicianship has a pin-point accuracy but it is spacious and expansive with each instrument and the vocals having room to breathe. The funereal opening salvo of “To Die Twice” is full of bleakness. Aurally and vocally, the experience is completely immersive which can be cathartic or disturbing depending on one’s experience with the subject matter. James Cook’s drumming is at times attacking and urgent so when the groove arrives it’s completely irresistible. Melody is interspersed with machine gun like blasts; the mixture of emotions: anger, reflection, sadness and confusion all have a rawness and feel that is so visceral.
The first of two long cuts, “A Stumble Of Words” is one of the album’s two journey songs coming in around the 11 minute mark. The harrowing line “their eyes wide open, to see, to see there’s nothing there” is heartbreakingly honest; a helpless spectator to the cruelty of life’s random natural order. Angus Neyra’s guitar work is powerful, his soloing sympathetic, at times very beautiful and warm. Directional shifts are many but there’s a cohesion that suggests a band that is completely focused and who on the face of it, would appear far more mature than their relatively early career would suggest.
When pure heaviness is required, it is delivered with full force. “The Burden” might be the hardest hitting sound I’ve heard from Urne. The almost Eastern introductory tone flows into a staccato riff as the vocal mood seems to change from desperation to anger. The track compliments its’ successor, “Becoming The Ocean” whose riffs have a Megadeth feel with smooth and elegant soloing. The heft on the title track sets up the album’s closing pieces. A brief instrumental reprise in the shape of “Peace” offers resigned reflection before the second 10 plus minute track which is also the closing number. “The Long Goodbye / Where Do We Go When We Die” asks the ultimate question to a “Load” era Metallica mid-tempo chug. There’s no self-indulgence in these longer songs. They fly by and are beautifully crafted and constructed. In some ways they form the centrepieces that, for want of a better word, are the “rudder” that guides and grounds this mixture of complex emotions.
You can’t sugar-coat this LP. Based around a profound personal experience, I wouldn’t call it a concept album but rather a “journey” album. Harrowing, emotionally and psychologically painful, it is nonetheless an important work. Not one to have on in the background for entertainment, this is a must listen for everyone but especially those who can empathise with these thoughts and feelings. Musically, “A Feast On Sorrow” is huge. The giant leap forward in Urne’s sound cannot be over-estimated and shows a band that has matured at a rapid rate. Wrapped in some of the most stunning artwork that captures the destructive and overwhelming force of nature, this is a complete package.
(9/10 Johnny Zed)
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