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Ur Draugr - The Wretched Ascetic review




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Reviewer:
7.0

10 users:
7.6
Band: Ur Draugr
Album: The Wretched Ascetic
Release date: January 2015


01. Unseen Golgotha
02. The Wretched Ascetic
03. Sombre Moribund

Ur Draugr certainly know how to draw a punter in. Indeed, who can resist wanting to listen to a release with a cover featuring what looks like a giant creepy grown up foetus doing some weeding by pulling up entire trees from the ground. And couple that with a cool title like The Wretched Ascetic and one instantly thinks "this has to be good." Yet, as we all know, judging anything by its cover is a path fraught with risk.

In essence Ur Draugr play what modern genre boffins might call blackened progressive death metal or progressive black death metal or something similar. Essentially take Opeth in their extremist moments, pour in black metal ala Behemoth and add texture to taste.

It all starts off quite well. The first track begins with brooding acoustic guitars before exploding into a crescendo of blackened riffs and cavernous growls that would make Mikael Akerfeldt proud.

The second track, "The Wretched Ascetic" starts off well enough with a massive intro before settling into more blackened Opethian soundscapes. And then the wheels fall off.

The major problem with this release is that it loses momentum by the 8 minute mark (basically 2 minutes into the second track). It kind of stumbles along for most of the second track with disjointed black death metal contrasted with somewhat pointless mellower meanderings. It's not all bad and there are still some great moments, but it could have been so much better with some judicious editing and attention to composition.

To make matters worse the third track is basically a long acoustic outro that is more at home on an hour long album and not a 20 minute EP. Especially as the track spends most of its time withering away into silence. It feels completely pointless.

There is great potential for this band. They write some great riffs and manage to attain a great balance between the brooding and malicious atmosphere of black metal and riff focused energy of death metal. The EP itself is worth listening to, even though it's got some flaws and feels too short in terms of actual meaty black death metal.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Production: 8

Written by deadone | 18.02.2015




Comments

Comments: 5   Visited by: 105 users
18.02.2015 - 23:58
Karlabos
Meat and Potatos
I still think it's a horrid cover
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"Aah! The cat turned into a cat!"
- Reimu Hakurei
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19.02.2015 - 16:25
Alex F
Slick Dick Rick
Nice review! Definitely agree with most of what you said and the score as well. In contradiction with Karlabos I quite like the cover
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19.02.2015 - 16:51
Susan
Smeghead
Oh this EP is just the shit. So, so good; totally disagree that it drags! Interesting to hear another opinion nonetheless
----
"A life all mine
Is what I choose
At the end of my days"
--The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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20.02.2015 - 01:52
Ilham
Giant robot
I learned the word "boffin" thanks to you. I am interested in listening to this and wasn't expecting you to pick it. I like how you try different stuff now.
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23.02.2015 - 20:41
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Hmm, curious to see you reviewing this, I wasn't entirely certain this kind of stuff was up your alley. I've seen this getting some good press elsewhere, and your "Opeth + BM Behemoth" description has me quite intrigued, so I'll be investigating it soon.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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