Ultha – The Inextricable Wandering

[schema type=”review” name=”Ultha – The Inextricable Wandering” description=”Label: Century Media Records” author=”Başak Günel” pubdate=”2018-10-05″ ]

Ultha is a black metal band. Hailing from Germany, they were formed in 2014 and their sound is based on concepts of melancholia, doubt and sorrow. I got to discover the band a few years ago with their previous release “Converging Sins” (2016) and their style caught my attention. Having gained good recognition recently, the band has signed a deal with Century Media Records. The latest release “The Inextricable Wandering” is out and revolves around the concept of fear.

As you might guess, the songs in an album like this aren’t exactly your typical 4-min-length songs…so take your time with this one and don’t rush. This will be obvious from the opening song “The Avarist (Eyes of a Tragedy)”, which is almost 15 minutes long! The album might be intense and full of darkness but these elements don’t make it dull. You will feel the emotions and the atmosphere evolve throughout the album but even within the songs. This is definitely one of the strengths of this one; the sound is not repetitive and offers us a concept-like approach. This, of course, arises due to the great vision and the song-writing the band offers. The music as well as the lyrics are highly personal and revolves around personal conflicts and the concept of fear.

Having known the band’s sound for a few years, it was a nice highlight to see their style evolving with “The Inextricable Wandering” as the band experimented with their sound while keeping their essence. That being said, there is a nice twist after the transition song “There Is No Love, High Up In The Gallows” as the last three songs give off a more progressive vibe. So, my personal highlights are definitely the last few songs of this release; they reflect the true character of the band and the album pretty well.

So is this one worth it? Definitely yes. Surely, it doesn’t bring anything new to the scene but one thing is for sure; the band has a certain vision and this clearly shows in many ways including song-writing as well as the composition of songs. So if you are into the atmospheric, dark & progressive side of black metal, you will love “The Inextricable Wandering”. With a new label and the experimenting of the sound, I also see this release as a milestone in Ultha’s career. Take your time with this one and enjoy the darkness!

Highlight: Cyanide Lips

Line-up:
Ralph Schmidt – guitars, vocals
Andy Rosczyk – electronics
Manuel Schaub – drums
Chris Noir – bass, vocals

Tracklist: 1. The Avarist (Eyes Of A Tragedy) 2. With Knives To The Throat And Hell In Your Heart 3. There Is No Love, High Up In The Gallows 4. Cyanide Lips 5. We Only Speak In Darkness 6. I’m Afraid To Follow You There

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