Urarv - Aurum album review

Norwegian avant-extremity with a fearless black metal pedigree

Cover art for Urarv - Aurum album

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Though a new project, Urarv feature the eccentric and creative vocals of Björn Aldrahn Dencker from Dødheimsgard and Thorns. Here he commands the focus as the busy and sometimes atonal bustle of guitars, bass and drums battle away behind him. The vibe is in the late 90s/early 00s Moonfog Records era – i.e: BM overtones with touches of thrash and death metal and a complex approach to songwriting. Despite that, Aurum proves to be a very organic affair, the prominent bass adding to the overal warmth of the album and the stripped-down composition of the songs (the band is a three-piece and there appear to be few overdubs). Sometimes it works, other times less so, making this a compelling but also a somewhat inconsistent debut.