Underdark – Managed Decline (Review)

Underdark are a post-black metal band from the UK and this is their second album.

Following on from 2021’s Our Bodies Burned Bright on Re-Entry, Underdark have now returned with the 41-minute Managed Decline.

Underdark weave together elements of black metal, hardcore, and post-rock into a tapestry of visceral post-black darkness. Think of a vicious mix of acts such as Deafheaven, Alcest, Hexis, Svalbard, and Møl, and you’ll have a decent starting point for Underdark’s brand of passionate catharsis.

This is music that brims with potent hostility as it lashes out with barely restrained violence. Underdark use deep feelings of despair and desperation to fuel their creative fury, but the music is more multilayered than if it just consisted of pure wrath. No, Managed Decline is also considered and refined. It is guided by hands that know the value of finesse and grace; this is music that is both scathing and radiant.

Managed Decline is layered with meaning and depth, delivering a series of atmospheric soundscapes that seamlessly blend misery, rage, hopelessness, and resplendence. The songs explore dark themes and ideas that musically manifest as a contemporary take on black metal that’s both compelling and rewarding.

Threatening presence and dark heaviness combine to create expressive songs that grip the listener’s attention. The furious intensity is enhanced by atmospheric enrichments, courtesy of the sort of post-rock worldbuilding that bands such as Russian Circles and Red Sparrowes do so well, albeit within a darkened blackened framework. Underdark’s blackgaze tendencies are offset by a modern black metal bite that prevents the material from becoming too delicate or ethereal; although these aspects are present in the band’s music, they are kept in check by a heaviness and an acidic aggression born from real pain and anguish. Managed Decline also benefits from a strong recording that allows the music to make the most of its sonic abilities.

Whereas Our Bodies Burned Bright on Re-Entry was a good album, serving as a capable introduction to a new band, Managed Decline is a leap forward in quality, ambition, and ability. It’s an accomplished and professional record that firmly establishes Underdark as a force to be reckoned with.

Highly recommended.