Uriel
Multiverse

It is not the first time we venture into the musical multiverse, I wrote about one last year and this is actually the second time this album sees the light of day. Originally released in 2019 the band figured that some global pandemic kind of screwed the possibilities to give the album the love and attention required for it to succeed, therefore they figured it could be great to release it again. Perhaps they should also revive their website and update the bandcamp, but what do I know? I think it was a good choice to give this one a new spin as I missed it the first time, I may have gotten it but never got around to writing about it, but this time I have given it a spin or several and I like what I hear.

This is a band that is fairly progressive having a cellist, violinist and harpist in the band, not that common in the metal community. One of them perhaps but not half the band playing instruments not commonly associated with the metal world. And it is extreme metal at that, with growly male vocals combined with female vocals. Neither vocalist can be described as special in their own right, but together they have a great dynamic. The sound is modern and has good depth as well as dynamics, the variation is strong as well, and unlike many bands they keep it very short which I think adds to the strength of the album as it is always better leaving fans wanting more than wanting less.

No major weakness can be found in the songs of this album, they combine folkish, extreme metal and progressive touches in a great and refreshing manner to build one of the better albums I have written about in a while. Perhaps it will be a candidate for the top list when the year is to be summarised a few months from now. All the songs are really strong and stands well on their own, but the album stands even stronger as a unit. And I like that they use their classic instruments more in the folk music way than with grand arrangements, and the album should be worth looking into just because of the fresh approach it offers.

This might not be for all, fans of simple and straightforward hit-based albums might find this a bit over the top or too complicated, but we who like to hear something new and interesting every time we check out a new album should be pleased that such albums still come every now and then. Uriel have certainly made a strong album with Multiverse and while you can question the usage of a name thar many bands have already used, there is no lack of creative thinking here. Such things I really like, and I recommend checking out this one, you will probably not regret it if you do.

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