…Ashes to ashes: UZALA – ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’

With five tracks examining the historic and folkloric wickedness of human nature, Uzala has triumphantly returned with their aptly titled second full-length album, ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’. Last year’s excellent self-titled debut was a murky, atmospheric journey to the dark side, occasionally blackened by the berserker howls of vocalist/guitarist Chad Remains. The remainder of the album, despite the melancholic tunes and hazy production, was given to moments of shimmering beauty due to the juxtaposing vocals of Darcy Nutt radiating from deep within the whirlwind of wah pedal abuse and distortion. For the recording of their sophomore effort the band recruited the inimitable Tad Doyle and his Witch Ape Studio which, in the end, has yielded a clearer, heavier album without completely sacrificing the dark moods and bad vibes of its predecessor.

Despite the clarity found on ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’, the album still exhibits a foreboding atmosphere of tension and anxiety that, as Chad has commented, “…works perfectly for many of the songs since the subject matter deals with being hunted, murder, obsession, vengeance, despair, and loss.” Accompanying the cleaner production is the huge, cataclysmic drumming of Chuck Watkins and a redefined focus on Darcy’s vocals. Rather than escaping from amidst the tumult, her vocals are more pronounced, dynamic and, at times, commanding. Also catapulting Darcy to the forefront is the lack of vocal contributions from Chad this time around which, in the end, reigns in the aggression and unpredictability that so satisfyingly jarred the listener midway through their debut. Despite his absence vocally, Chad’s presence is imprinted on the five tracks that comprise ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ as his guitar is seamlessly entangled with Darcy’s to create earth-rending doom riffs, fuzzed-out walls of distortion, and mesmerizing leads.

What the band has sacrificed in ambient atmospherics they have gained in heft and lumbering aggression without delving into the whiplash frenzy found on either “Fracture” or “Wardrums” from their debut. Though the songs are heavier and the guitars snarl with an angrier tone, the album is still laced with quieter passages of calm psychedelia punctuated by bursts of distortion and Darcy’s ever-engaging vocals. For ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ the band re-recorded “Burned” from their 7” split with Mala Suerte and it flat-out rocks with a groove unrivalled by anything else on the album. Like with their previous work, Uzala continues to experiment with noise and sonic textures. A rising tide of feedback kicks off the album opener “Seven Veils” and returns for the final track, “Tenement of the Lost”, where it fully engulfs the listener for what is Uzala’s most indulgent foray into the noise-as-aesthetic ideology before devolving into what is arguably their “softest”, most poignant track to date. Without Chuck’s destructive percussion and only the lone, heavily reverbed guitar accompanied by the lingering swell of distorted noise to carry the tune, the focus is placed squarely on Darcy’s wavering vocals—the perfect way to close out the album.

Uzala has crafted a masterful follow-up to their stunning debut by slightly altering their overall sound with a cleaner, weightier production. Despite the added heft and crispness, the album still smolders with a narcotizing burn capable of anesthetizing a woolly mammoth. ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ is one of the most interesting and immersive albums released this year and with only five tracks and a runtime near the forty-five minute mark the trip ends way too soon. Preorder the album through King of the Monsters Records and, for those who missed it the first time around, look out for the re-release of their self-titled album bundled with the ‘Cataract/Death Masque’ 12” single.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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…dark moods and bad vibes: Interview with Chad Remains of UZALA

Uzala’s self-titled debut was one of the highlights among the many stellar releases of 2012. Their atmospheric, downtrodden blend of doom, psychedelia, and noise carved out a niche all its own. Further separating Uzala from the pack are the haunting, seraphic vocals of Darcy Nutt who yielded an ethereal quality to six of the album’s eight tracks. The band is about to unleash ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’, the follow-up to their impressive debut. Guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Chad Remains was kind enough to take some time from his busy schedule to shed some light on the status of the band and the highly anticipated forthcoming album.


VCA - 2012 was a killer year for doom metal and other like-minded genres and reigning at the top of my year end list was your self-titled debut which still gets spun on the regular. I tried to turn others on to Uzala and I found that the hazy, muddy production tended to polarize listeners. Personally, I found that the production enhanced the album and added atmosphere and really emphasized Darcy’s vocals. Is there going to be a noticeable shift production-wise like there was on the split that you recorded with Mala Suerte on ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’?

CR - The LP got mastered for the AWWFN release in a dark manner. It will be reissued by King of the Monsters Records later this year with Mell Dettmer mastering as well as a bonus 12" single with Cataract and Death Masque included. Essentially the entire Blake Green produced Visual Arts Collective sessions will be available in one vinyl package. Tony Roberts will be doing the LP layout/design this time and there will be slightly different photos/art, etc. It will be a deluxe release, as are all King of the Monsters releases.

Tales of Blood & Fire is different in many ways. Darcy and I wrote everything on this one, for example, and also we had a different vision for how to make the guitars sound. The drums are heavier for two reasons. One, Chuck Watkins was raised on raw meat and punk and metal. Two, Tad Doyle is a drummer and I'm pretty sure he built his entire studio to emphasize heavy drumming. The first record was made in a very big concert venue so there is more space and ambient sounds in the whole thing. Which I feel was perfect for that session. The atmosphere of the session was hazy and the record is too. It's great that Blake could capture the feeling that we were still trying to figure out how to make those songs come to life or pull them over from the other side.

VCA - What was it like recording with Tad? Did he bring anything new to the table as far as influencing your sound or altering the way that you ultimately envisioned the final product?

CR - Tad was great. Very welcoming and laid back. Just kinda "roll it and go for it" kind of style with us. We weren't smart enough to send him a demo so he didn't even have any idea what songs we were bringing him to record. He just went with the flow. He was open to my harebrained ideas for guitar stuff. He did rein me in a bit because of time limitations. If I had it my way there would be nine guitar tracks on each song. I stayed the hell out of the way when it came to drums and vocals of course. My opinions are highly valued only by myself in those situations.

When I recorded the drone/noise wall guitar parts for Tenement of the Lost he just handed me his pedal board and said "try this out for a bit". After 45 minutes or so his voice came over the headphones "I think we've got some good stuff here". I had no idea he was recording! Definitely a good way to keep thing loose and improvisational. I used my Laney gh100s Tony Iommi head for most of the guitar tracks, but there is some Fender Champ on there as well. Plenty of it, actually. Darcy used a Peavey vtm60 that we borrowed from Thomas Wilson from Black Cloud. That thing sounds MONSTROUS and Tad brought out the depth of it. Some of Darcy's guitar riffs sound like boulders rolling over villages. IMMENSE. Her clean guitars were played through a mix of a Marshall Studio 15 that we borrowed from Darren Chase of Ancient Warlocks and a super weird top secret solid state 50 watt amp with the throbbiest tremolo/vibrato sound. Both Darcy and I used Black Arts Toneworks pedals on all of the dirty guitars. I leaned heavily on the Revelation Superbass to create the basis of my dirty sound.

VCA - One of the cool things about your debut was that you and Darcy divvied up the vocal duties among the eight tracks. “Fracture” and “Wardrums” definitely stand out due to the shift in tone and aggression, yet the album still sounds balanced. I thought that those two tracks broke up the album nicely and your berserker wails tended to juxtapose with Darcy’s more ethereal approach. Is that trend going to continue on the new album?

CR - Darcy sings all of the songs on this one. The only reason is because I didn't write any songs that were for my voice. We have a new songwriting cycle starting soon. It's possible that I will sing on one or more of these. It's not really important to me whether or not I use that voice. The important thing for us is to do service to the song. It's never been about individual mastery of an instrument or voice. We only wish to craft good songs that are memorable and capture the mood of the idea behind the song.

The singing on Tales of Blood & Fire is more emotive and expressive than the s/t. With the cleaner mix the vocals sit right above the other instruments. Darcy's range on this one is quite evocative of an older era of singers. Comparisons to Grace Slick have been put forth and I can't really argue with that.

VCA - Is there anything that stands out as an influence to the making of ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’, whether it be another band’s music, a certain film, novel, artist or piece of art? Were there any significant differences in how these compositions came together compared to the last album?

CR - Each song is a story, so each song was inspired individually by the story behind it. Sometimes the initial inspiration came from the histories and myths of the Salem Witch Trials, Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations for Salomé, films, art and songs about Elisabeth Bathory, or dreams. Then the inspiration came from bands as well because we feel rooted in a tradition. You can probably hear the influences almost as clearly as we felt them. We are not here to reinvent the bloody wheel.

On the s/t album we had a long time to write and play the songs live and for the most part the band was based here in Idaho. On this one Darcy and I had many rehearsals with no drums or bass and all of the writing was done by us without much outside influence from other band members. We had a short rehearsal session and then went straight into Witch Ape Studio with Tad. So there is a tension and anxiety underlying the entire thing since it had to be done in six days. It works perfectly for many of the songs since the subject matter deals with being hunted, murder, obsession, vengeance, despair, and loss.

Nick (bass) left after day two of the recording, so that was it for his involvement. He is no longer in the band since his commitments were not with us.

VCA - Is the band still split between Boise and Portland? How does that affect the overall songwriting process and preparation for live gigs? Any plans developing to tour behind ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’?

CR - Chuck Watkins (drums) lives in Portland and we are continuing without a bassist, at least for now. Chuck also plays in Ephemeros. Their new album, All Hail Corrosion, just came out on Seventh Rule and Parasitic Records. They are destructive.

So far as preparing for gigs, recording, etc., we try to split our travels. The reality is that Chuck travels more over this way than we do over that way. We are touring the US in October with Mike Scheidt (YOB, VHÖL) doing his solo acoustic material and part of the tour will also be with Mount Salem from Chicago. The Texas dates will be with the unbelievably incredible Sabbath Assembly. We will play a couple of festivals along the way. Starting with Fall Into Darkness Fest in Portland, Oregon October 13 with Mike Scheidt, Hammers of Misfortune, and The Skull (ex - Trouble) and about mid way we will play Baltimore, Maryland's second installment of Autumn Screams Doom Festival on October 26th with Serpentine Path, Dopethrone, LOSS, Churchburn, and a bunch of others that I will regret not mentioning later. Along the way we will play gigs with new friends and old. Like fucking BONGRIPPER in Chicago?!? HELL YEAH! EAGLE TWIN in Salt Lake City?!? GOD DAMN! We will announce all of the dates soon. Still finalizing two or three towns.

VCA - Your debut was the perfect mix of doom, psychedelia, noise and despair. What’s in store for the listener this time around?

CR - Well, although that's very kind of you to say, I feel there are ways we could have done better on the s/t record and I'm sure that I would have done something differently with the split 7" and this new album given enough time and space between takes of songs. The lens of time can be clearer than the moment in time, so taking all of that into account and also the fact remains that I can't change it...

This album has heavier drumming like I mentioned before. The guitars are clearer although there is still a psychedelic feel to the recording even with the added aggression to the sound. Dorando from Lesbian mentioned to me that he thought we sound like Flower Travellin' Band more with these songs. I had never thought of it before but I reckon he's right. Something in the extension of the high end of the songs and the warble of the wah pedal. Or maybe we are secretly Japanese, from the 60's, and on loads of bad acid and speed.

VCA - I’ve been into music my whole life and I can’t imagine not owning physical copies of alums whether it’s on CD or an LP. In this day and age exceptions are made and I’ll go the digital route if an album is scarce, out-of-print, or a band doesn’t have the means to get their music out in a physical format. Your debut was one of the reasons I dusted off the turntable and sought out a new needle. How important is it for Uzala to put out a physical release?

CR - I actually don't give a fuck about digital downloads. If someone wants to help us further our band and help us to cover the costs of being on the road, in the studio, procuring vintage gear, etc then by all means they are welcome to buy a digital download from us. If someone wants to "steal" it from a download site, so fucking what? They actually "have" nothing, in my opinion. I'm sure that my age has a lot to do with the formulation of that opinion. I grew up listening to tapes and LPs, watching the needles bounce on dual vU meters on my Dad's old Pioneer and Kenwood gear, blasting my eardrums with old eggshell headphones or cranking Bose 301s and pointing them in different directions to alter the sound in the room.

We take great care in the presentation of the physical formats that we present to the world because we want to put out something that we would enjoy owning. A few of our releases have fallen short in the past, but we will correct that with reissues. Our first thirty or so copies of the demo were made in a very big hurry and they look like utter shit. We would like to reissue that someday to make up for the shoddy handiwork on that one. I think that some future releases will go even further into the realm of crazy packaging, but I reckon we will always try to have a "normal" version for those who just want a black slab and a sleeve to house it in. I don't want to do something stupid and so exclusive that only ebay assholes will buy it. We are still a small band so we do smaller editions for economic reasons.

VCA - Both Uzala and Pallbearer (on their ‘2010 Demo’)—among many artists over the past several decades—have recorded versions of “Gloomy Sunday”. Any renditions that you particularly enjoy? What was it that attracted you to that song and are there any other similar indulgences on the upcoming album?

CR - Diamanda Galas was the sole reason that we recorded Gloomy Sunday with the Desmond Carter lyrics. There was no possible way for us to even reach for what she did, but it was inspirational to us and we had to try our hand at it for our own reasons.

VCA - Any other thoughts on ‘Tales of Blood & Fire’ or life in general?

CR - We will be writing and recording more for some splits with a few other bands soon. Look for us in October and November in the US, and we hope to bring UZALA to Europe in the spring. We are talking with some folks about that.

Interview by Steve Miller
(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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Uzala/Mala Suerte – Split 7”

Mala Suerte and Uzala—both practitioners of heavily mired, psychedelic doom—have joined forces to release a split 7” that highlights some of the best that both bands have to offer. Mala Suerte’s Illumninati inspired, New World Order thwarting “The Veil of Secrecy” is a heavy, hook-laden response to corruption, inequality, and clandestine abuses of power. While “The Veil of Secrecy” was recorded in 2010, not long after the release of the band’s sole full-length album, ‘The Shadow Tradition’, it is a track that really fits in well with the band’s previously released material while at the same time showing compositional growth. “Burned”, Uzala’s contribution, embraces a cleaner sound than what is found on both their self-titled album and the ‘Cataract/Death Masque’ single which ultimately places even more of a focus on Darcy Nutt’s ethereal vocals.

“The Veil of Secrecy” has two things going for it that really elevates the track above anything that Mala Suerte has put out before it—the opening lead guitar and Gary Rosas’ vocals. The entire song is a mid-paced plod, but the opening lead guitar instantly draws the listener in with its emotive, killer tone. Immediately noticeable with Mala Suerte’s latest is that Gary Rosas’ vocals have been dialed-back a bit which really works well on this tune. “The Veil of Secrecy” sacrifices the abrasive, up-front vocal delivery found on ‘The Shadow Tradition’ in favor of a more restrained, chant-like cadence that complements the conspiratorial lyrics. Mala Suerte’s contribution is a welcome addition to the band’s catalogue and thankfully “The Veil of Secrecy” has finally been revealed.

The relatively cleaner production of Uzala’s “Burned” really stands out and brings Darcy Nutt’s seraphic vocals to the forefront. While the production is a bit clearer, this isn’t a night and day difference. The bands still dwells in the depths of a psychedelic slurry, though the waters are a bit less murky. “Burned” still displays all of the musical elements that make Uzala so great. The interplay between the riffs and lead guitar courtesy of Chad Remains and Darcy are ever-present as is the dark, uncompromising atmosphere that seems to permeate all of the band’s recordings. For those needing a fix while they are waiting for the band to finish their next album, “Burned” just may temporarily hold them over.

Both of the doomed-out tracks on the split are strong compositions that complement each other well and should momentarily appease fans that are looking forward to new material from either band. While Mala Suerte and Uzala approach their disciplines from different angles, each band is unified by their dedication to dark, atmospheric doom. Here’s looking forward to new material from each band in the upcoming year. Pick up the 7” from King of the Monsters Records.

Words: Steve Miller
(Originally published at Doommantia)

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Uzala – ‘Cataract/Death Masque' 12” Single

The murk-dwelling, psych/doom band, Uzala, has finally issued the missing puzzle piece to their brilliant self-titled debut. Collectors of vinyl were rewarded with an amazing album, albeit lacking “Cataract”—one of the band’s strongest tracks—while downloaders and cassette collectors were graced with the full nine track album. At War With False Noise has remedied the situation by releasing the ‘Cataract/Death Masque 12” Single’. While many fans may be familiar with “Cataract”, it’s an opportunity for completists and vinyl fetishists to pad out their collections while gaining an added bonus…“Death Masque”.

The Eastern-tinged “Cataract” opens the single and showcases vocalist/guitarist Darcy Nutt’s soaring, emotional vocals that easily rise above the murky din created by both the band and the production. While there are those who feel that Uzala could benefit from a cleaner, clearer production, they are totally missing the mark and “Cataract” continually reveals its many layers as the listener wades through its turbid waters. “Cataract” easily flows between majestic, drowsy-paced doom and up-tempo groove while Chad Remains’ devilish, whispered vocals sporadically slither their way through the slurry. If any song is worthy of being released as a single from the debut it is “Cataract”. Following a few distorted notes “Death Masque” drops like a clap of thunder and peals off into the darkened aether with Darcy’s vocals remaining as the only finger of light amidst the gloom. The music twists and turns from head-nodding euphoria to plodding, feedback driven freak-out. Like most of Uzala’s compositions “Death Masque” has enough complexity, depth, and shifts in tempo to remain interesting and warrant repeated listens.

Uzala has, up to this point, released one of the most unique doom metal albums of the year with their self-titled debut and have now successfully followed it with the release of the ‘Cataract/Death Masque 12” Single’. Currently there are very few bands that are successfully pushing the boundaries of doom metal and Uzala is accomplishing this by effortlessly combining doom, noise, and psychedelia all while being able to retain a consistent, atmospheric vision. Act quickly to get this very limited vinyl or download from the band’s Bandcamp page. Highly recommended.

Words: Steve Miller

(Originally published at Temple of Perdition)

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Uzala - 'S/T'...

          

            Boise, Idaho may not be the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of metal, particularly doom metal, but Boise’s Uzala just might change that way of thinking. The band had been hinting at great things to come for months via their Bandcamp page and expectations were high based solely on the strength of a handful of songs. The self-titled release is an engaging, powerful album that is seething with psychedelic flourishes. In short: this is my type of doom.

            The big question mark for most listeners is the production. Uzala seems to have taken their cue from Electric Wizard’s “Black Masses”. The production is muffled and the instruments often blend together in hypnotic washes. Singer/guitarist Darcy Nutt’s vocals act as more of an accompaniment to the instrumentation, especially on album opener “Batholith”, partly due to her vocal style and partly due to the muffled production. Of all the female fronted doom bands, Darcy’s vocals seem the best suited for the music. While the lyrics may be indiscernible, her voice soars above the tracks and guides the listener through their particular trip.

            The album opener, “Batholith”, begins with a slow, repetitive guitar passage. The listener is lulled into a false sense of melancholy calm. The bells tolls, feedback rolls, and the song kicks into overdrive—a cyclic, droning fury that would be just as at home on a Tombs release. The song isn’t all fury as Darcy’s vocals float on top of the music. The song breaks down to the initial slow guitar passage before relaunching. The intensity continues to build and build…

            …until the second track, “The Reaping”, slices into the crescendo and really slows things down. The song features a heavy, sinister riff, some wah pedal abuse and wouldn’t sound out of place on Saint Vitus’ debut. Darcy’s vocals are more prominent and soulful here and are a focal point rather than blending into the music. The song never gains speed above a mid-tempo burn, but the vocals cascade over the music in the chorus—a highlight in the song.

            “Ice Castle” follows suit with another slow intro, this time instigated by cymbal rolls. Heavily distorted guitars are juxtaposed with Darcy’s vocals. “Ice Castles’ is not the strongest song on the album and here, at three songs in, there is a danger of the tempo and mood to become too predictable. While “Ice Castles” is not too memorable, it sets the listener up for the midpoint of the album as the song fades out.

            The aptly titled “Fracture” ambushes the listener with an upbeat, thrashy guitar intro. This fourth track sees a change in vocal duties as vocalist/guitarist Chad Remains rants like a maniacal berserker. The music is fast, unrelenting and breaks the album up nicely. At less than three minutes long the song does not overstay its welcome and succeeds in showing another side of the band. Not only can they play slow, atmospheric doom, but they can also launch angrily into the stratosphere.

            Chad takes the vocal reins yet again on “Wardrums”, a doomy, groove-laden jam that’ll get your fist pumping. Here, the vocals are at their most sinister and harsh sounding. Darcy contributes some back up vocals that rise eerily out of the mix like a spectre. Truly haunting stuff. This is a song to blast when marching forth to war.

            “Plague” is the comedown after Chad’s mid-album attack. Darcy returns to the mic, though sparingly in this song, and the tune plods along. This possibly would have been a better choice to lead into “Fracture” and “Wardrums”, but that is a minor quibble. It allows the listener to catch their breath.

            The seventh track, “Gloomy Sunday” (also known as the Hungarian Suicide Song), is the lone cover song on the album. While Uzala are not the first to cover it, they certainly make it their own. “Gloomy Sunday” has a long, varied history and many claim that the song itself is haunted and that numerous suicides are linked to it. Regardless of the song’s history, it sounds right at home on this album. Darcy’s vocals are deeper and convey a commanding, forlorn presence which is at times reminiscent of the vocals of Sharie Neyland of The Wounded Kings.

            The final track, “Cataract”, has what can only be described as an Eastern influence. Both the music and vocals have an epic, emotional quality. Midway through the doom-paced track fuzzed-out guitar cuts through the din and the song launches into a groove akin to “Wardrums”. This song really conveys the positive side to the lo-fi, muffled recording as Chad offers some devilishly whispered vocals that can go unnoticed at first listen. “Cataract” is the perfect epic closer to a fine first release.

            While we are barely into 2012, this is easily the finest release of the year and it will be difficult to top. Uzala have crafted a multilayered release where listeners are rewarded with multiple listens. While the album has been crafted primarily for doom-heads there certainly is enough variety in this release to appeal to different metal fans. Some listeners may complain about the production of the album. It’s true, the production could be a bit clearer and the album could sound heavier, but those are minor complaints compared to the strengths of the songwriting and instrumentation on this album. Highly recommended and essential listening here.

Words: Steve Miller
(originally published at Doommantia)

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