This is the debut album from UK sludge/post-metal band Urzah.
The Scorching Gaze contains 42 minutes of material delivered in a charismatic hybrid metallic style. Urzah combine elements of sludge, post-metal, progressive metal, doom, and hardcore/metalcore into an exemplar of heaviness that feels timeless.
Deconstruct different aspects of bands such as Isis, Conjurer, Unearth, Russian Circles, Dvne, Converge, Earthtone9, Mastodon, and Urne, and then fuse the result together into a compelling whole, and you have Urzah.
The Scorching Gaze merges the strengths of its component parts very well. The different influences at play across the record are skilfully woven into a fabric that allows Urzah to cover a wide area in a tight running time. Ranging from pit-friendly hardcore fury to massive sludge heaviness to progressive metal workouts to mood-based post-metal resplendence to doom-friendly atmospheric weight and more, The Scorching Gaze has a lot to offer connoisseurs of heavy music.
Urzah are adept at bringing together instant appeal heaviness and longer appeal depth. Intricate nuance and crushing intensity sit alongside each other with ease. The music is underpinned by an emotive core that runs deeply through it. The guitars are expressive and the vocals impassioned, bringing a firm foundation of feeling to the songs, which is then ably built upon. Each song has its place on the record and adds value to the whole, while still being its own entity. At least for the most part anyway – as bands these days seem increasingly contractually obligated to include at least one filler interlude track on an album, here it’s represented by the cunningly titled (Interlude). It’s short and pointless, and breaks up the album’s pace needlessly. It’s especially redundant, as the album offers a longer and far more effective breathing space in the graceful form of The Aesthetic only a couple of tracks later. I never understand why these strange decisions are taken. I partly mention this as pointless interludes are a long running thorn in my side, but primarily as it serves to highlight just how strong the rest of the album is; (Interlude) is jarring because it stands out so blatantly as a moment of weakness, while the rest of the album is immersive, enthralling, and devastating.
Minor issue aside, The Scorching Gaze is an impressive debut record. Urzah have crafted an album that should hopefully raise their profile significantly, as it’s well worth the time of any fan of heavy music.
Don’t miss out on this.
Wonderbox Metal 