URNE – Serpent & Spirit | Album Review

Though they initially formed from the ashes of Hang The Bastard, London trio URNE have carved out an identity uniquely their own in their few short years of activity.

2018’s The Mountain of Gold EP marked them out as ones to watch but as the band themselves said, it was an album that was more stripped back, aiming to show they could write great songs. Now with debut LP Serpent & Spirit, the band are unfurling their wings and writing a grandiose, epic album that is colossal in scope and in sound.

Serpent & Spirit eases into view on its title track and a melody Baroness would be proud of, swirling before a vicious howl tears through and it moves into far sludgier territory. This, too, morphs later into a chorus that echoes the proggy soaring choruses of Mastodon before it’s once more pulled under. It all circles back around to that opening motif for the final minute, and though it sits comfortably round the nine minute mark, there’s not a moment wasted. As opening statements go, it’s a bold move that pays off in spades.

Followup ‘The Palace of Devils and Wolves’ is a hardcore-tinged rager that still finds time to detour into doomier territories. It’s an oddity being sandwiched between two eight-plus minute odysseys in the title track and ‘Memorial’ but it does wonders for the pacing of the album. ‘Memorial’ itself is initially a grooving number that switches tempo regularly without being disorienting. It’s also entirely instrumental, a bold choice for a second track but one that again pays off immensely. It’s got epic scope, soaring leads and crunching riffs that are simply entrancing.

Bassist/vocalist Joe Nally’s vocals have a hardcore inflected bark that oozes menace and demands you pay attention and are also incredibly versatile, able to handle everything Urne do with aplomb, including the soaring choruses of the title track. No slouch on the bass either, he does far more than simply underpin the guitars or sit with the drums. Look at the slower sections in the opener of ‘Memorial’ to hear the bass carry a significant part of the melody or shortly after where it sits alone.
 
When it comes to the guitar work, Angus Neyra – to be frank – puts on a masterclass in soaring solos, occasional shred and riff wizardry. It’s a melting pot of old school Metallica, modern Baroness and many more. From the simple melodic lick opening ‘Moon & Sky’, to the galloping riff that underpins its verses, as well as the thrashing assault of ‘Desolate Heart’. The drum work courtesy of Richard Harris is equally exemplary, able to turn on a dime and move with the often rapidly-shifting tempos such as the churning ‘Desolate Heart’ that swaps from rampaging thrash to slower, tom-filled instrumental passages.
 
There’s many different shades of metal throughout URNE’s debut; its title track is all Baroness majesty and sludgy Mastodon, whereas ‘Desolate Heart’ is 80s Metallica as well as soaring, modern metal choruses. The dizzying array of styles is deftly balanced throughout, creating a record that feels like it’s both torn from the thrash heyday of the 80s as well as a truly modern metal album.
 
Its scope is huge, sporting a weighty central concept based around the central character’s struggles, being pulled between the darkness and the light. URNE more than do justice to it though, marrying a heavy concept with just as heavy music that folds in multiple styles while maintaining their own distinctly heavy identity. It may only be a debut but given both the pedigree of its members and the quality of the album, we can certainly expect great things from URNE in the future.
Score:9/10

Serpent & Spirit is out now via Candlelight Records. Purchase the record here.
  • # Album Review, Candlelight Records, Heavy Metal, Hold Tight Co, Noizze, Progressive Metal, Riffs, Serpent & Spirit, Sludge, URNE
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