Uada‘s dawn is near.
Since its inception in 2014, the band has been releasing albums with impressive regularity. In 2023, the band led by Jake Superchi (guitar/vocals), announces the release of Crepuscule Natura, its fourth album.
Like its predecessors, the album is released by Eisenwald and illustrated by Kris Verwimp (Absu, Afsky, Ceremonial Castings, Suidakra, Månegarm…). At the time of writing, Nate Verschoor (bass, Swarming, ex-Cryptic Throne…), Trevor McClain (drums, Peste Umbrarum, ex-Mazaroth) and Kevin Bedra (guitar, Funeral Age, ex-Suicide Culture) complete the line-up.
The Abyss Gazing Back immediately puts us back in the middle of this storm of airy leads flying over a generally fast base, which only slows down to adopt more majestic accents. Dark vocal parts regularly emerge from the shadows, offering cavernous howls or wilder screams that marvelously accompany the speed changes of this heady wave of darkness, followed by the equally intoxicating Crepuscule Natura, the eponymous composition. The track brings a few Old School patterns while continuing to pour its torrents of intoxicating melodies out, which don’t hesitate to brake again to become much more haunting before transforming into raw riffs. The furious accelerations obviously gain momentum before giving way to the cheerful sounds of The Dark (Winter), whose atmosphere surely grows stronger after its introduction, revealing once again all the unhealthy sounds, creating a disturbing contrast. The vocal parts are less present than on the other tracks, but they add a mystical dimension before ceasing to let Retraversing the Void, a composition that already haunts the band’s setlists, blossom before our eyes, feeding abundantly on its leads. Different voices join the mix, letting lead adopt more diverse influences to create further shades within the track before moving on to Through the Wax and Through the Wane, the long final composition, which doesn’t waste a single moment to shroud us in its dark misty setting where tortured screams join numerous airy melodies punctuating the track between two visceral explosions. The sound calms down and becomes dissonant, before flaring up again for a haunting but equally oppressive final section, which finally dies after a final requiem.
I’ve never really been able to explain why Uada has fascinated me since I discovered them. Crepuscule Natura has the same effect on me as its predecessors, whether through its regularity, its heady occult sounds, its various intense voices or its highly rhythmic, visceral elements.
95/100