Track Review: “Monarch” by Uragh!

Hailing from Dublin Ireland and citing influences as wide ranging as Gojira, Sepultura and Cynic, Progressive Metal outfit Uragh burst onto the scene in February 2023 and progressed all the way to the final of the Metal 2 the Masses competition for a chance to play the New Blood stage at Bloodstock. Narrowly missing out to Hardcore titans LaVein, the band turned their attention to committing their first single to tape in “Decimate” with Josh Robinson (Archives, Neon Empire, Survivalist) at JSR Studio in Belfast which premiered in June 2023. Not prepared to go down without a fight, rather than begin work on an EP the band took the songs that comprised their live set alongside a few others and went the whole hog, recording a full length debut album titled “Maelstrom“. That is set for the first half of 2024 with the band setting their sights on Bloodstock once more, first single “Monarch” being unveiled in advance…

No doubt testament to the better part of a year spent in the practice space sanding down the rough edges and finding their sound, “Monarch” is a track that is a rare breed. A sophomore single from a band so fresh into their career doesn’t usually sound as polished or as complete sounding, as well crafted and shaped. What Uragh have done is follow the path of a few bands of late and give the bass guitar more prominence in the mix, so it behaves as almost a rhythm guitar. That helps give the track a powerful Groove Metal orientated sound, their rhythmic dynamics creating fast burning fuel for the mosh pit. Tapping sections from both bassist Sebastian Sparr and guitarist Marcelo Varge are a thing of beauty, the clean crisp drum sound that Jason Hodgkins has been given by Robinson enable him to be a driving force. He has some clever fills that provide fleeting moments of nuance including but not limited to bursts of blasting to add a little spice that’s nice before a progressive, almost ambient passage adds a touch of Post-Metal to the bands sound. A music video shot in black and white by the sea is a touch of class for the first single, adding a charm to the atmospherics of the track itself, the throat splitting vocal from Craig Murphy is classically harsh but leaving the lyrics intact. If this is simply the beginning then… Gojira will be concerned as a new contender comes for their crown [8/10]