Wednesday 27 May 2020

First Reactions - Ulthar's 'Furnace Hibernation', from "Providence." (2020)

In a previous life, I found myself, if not ravished, than as sure as heck seduced by the 2018 album, "Cosmovore", care of Oakland death metal threesome Ulthar. While it was having its wicked way with me behind a skip (it later bought me a kebab), I was impressed by how it blended huge, nasty, meaty hooks with at times deep and rich song structures. Also, the Ian Miller cover art.

As I held its hair up while it projectile vomited up the side of a Vauxhall Astra, and before we tried to find where one of its stiletto heels ended up (on the roof of a bus shelter), I was also left to ponder another question - what would Ulthar's next record sound like?

I got my answer today, care of the band's label, 20 Buck Spin. Ulthar has a new album, "Providence", coming out (if the Plague Lord wills it) on 12th June, 2020. It already scores points with another Ian Miller cover (really, he ought to be just given the brief to re-design the British Isles and be done with it). But what about the song just released from that album, Furnace Hibernation?

An initial play brings forth hints of Japanese mad men Noism, and their crazed shredding, a dash of Carcass's slower tempo numbers, and a healthy dash of Abscess. But Furnace Hibernation is very much its own beast, able to blast forth at full speed, before gracefully slowing down the tempo one moment, and then blasting off again the next. 


One thing you can't accuse this band of is a lack of content, then. It's varied and shows off an impressive range. It does eventually settle on one really good riff, which growls and drones with calculated menace. But even then, it keeps thrashing away with other flourishes until, at last, it fades away, perhaps in need of a well-deserved rest...

It bodes well for the album, then. Whether this means the rest of the tracks will be as good is another matter. But like a WKD and, indeed, VD-fuelled Friday night, it's always best to just enjoy the moment...

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