ALBUM REVIEW: A Feast on Sorrow – Urne
Losing a loved one is among the hardest experiences of human life – when it’s down to a degenerative condition, that difficulty is tenfold. For Joe Nally, the frontman of London progressive metal dynamos URNE, such a scenario unfolded within his own life, specifically involving the cruelty of dementia. Left with a mix of emotions including anger and confusion, Nally channelled everything into what would become A Feast On Sorrow, the follow up to URNE‘s exhilarating 2021 debut Serpent & Spirit that won them a plethora of fans and including, among other accolades, a triumphant showing at Bloodstock Festival that very year. The band’s exploits also attracted the attention of none other than Joe Duplantier of GOJIRA fame, who took the band to his New York studio of Silver Cord to produce the album, which is set for release on Friday August 11th via Candlelight Records.
Given the heavy subject matter that inspired A Feast On Sorrow, it will come as a surprise to exactly no-0ne that this is a much darker effort than Serpent & Spirit. “Where do the memories go?!” screams Nally as opening track The Flood Came Rushing In explodes into life, a barrage of riffs from Angus Neyra married perfectly with new drummer James Cook‘s fills and dynamism behind the kit. The lyrics are pretty on-the-nose when it comes to discussing what a devastating illness dementia is, but they’re no less potent, with moments about demons seeping in hitting hard.
To Die Twice is no different, Nally‘s anguished wail of “To die twice is a curse!” perfectly summing up what having such an affliction can represent, not just for those watching their beloved deteriorate but also those who suffer. This leads into A Stumble Of Words, the first of two tracks to breach the 11-minute mark and a masterpiece in how to blend styles without sounding all over the place; there’s MASTODON, OPETH and even VISION OF DISORDER intertwining en-route to its crushing conclusion.
Things get even darker on The Burden, with URNE‘s prowess in sludge coming more to the fore; it feels raw, Nally‘s vocals growing lower in the mix towards the end that marks a shift from the clarity of before. It works well too, you won’t find any criticism here about the mixing or production; Duplantier has, as one might expect, done an excellent job. However, he’s aided by the fact that the trio playing have all upped their game considerably since Serpent & Spirit; hailed as one of the UK’s brightest new talents at that time, they’ve come on in leaps and bounds.
The final track, The Long Goodbye/Where Do the Memories Go? is testament to this; the second track to breach eleven minutes and preceded by the 72-second Peace, this album closer is potentially URNE‘s greatest track to date. It swirls and serenades, snarls and scintillates, going through moments of doom, prog, groove and even more extreme elements thanks to Neyra‘s alternate picking and Cook‘s double bass kicks at points. Like the other track of length, though, nothing is out of place in the slightest; it’s a seamless composition, an inspiring slice of work in the art of songwriting.
When it all comes down to it, the pain and sorrow have not been for nought – A Feast On Sorrow is a sensation, a record of power and resonation that will connect on a near-spiritual level with listeners in a multitude of manners. The fact that this is only URNE‘s second album makes it even more of a triumph that a band can craft something so powerful, so early. A genuine album of the year contender, make no mistake.
Rating: 9/10
A Feast On Sorrow is set for release on August 11th via Candlelight Records.
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