Artist: Urukhai
Country: Italy
Label: Narbentage Produktionen
Formats: Cassette Tape
Year: 2025
A certain amount of mysticism naturally contributes to how you view and experience a band, not infrequently that includes anonymity. Although that concept has become somewhat hackneyed by now, it is still widely used, often under the guise of “then the music speaks for itself, without external distractions from the individual”. Whether that is also the case here is therefore impossible to say, but it does fit the whole picture. So, much more than saying that ‘Vernichtung’ is Urukhai’s debut demo and that this Black Metal band originates from Milan, Italy seems impossible. So, indeed let the music then do the telling.
It might be me, but ‘Vernichtung’ starts exactly the way I had imagined it would: with a two-minute dreamy Dungeon Synth intro, in a truly Tolkien kind of way. The music that kicks in after, however, is quite different matter. Although the riffs and the overall production evoke a somewhat similar atmosphere, it is actually the drums and especially the vocals that ventures the music in much rawer territories. The keyboards that shone so brightly in the opening minutes, do play a more modest, supporting role in the remainder of ‘Vernichtung’s duration.
The band is definitely not pushing any boundaries and they are clearly not trying to reinvent any wheels, and at times the music sounds rather clunky and even clumsy, but what Urukhai absolutely offers as well: an authentic charm. That actually makes up for all the previous “blemishes”. To me it more or less ticks all the right boxes. Raw and uneven production that exudes a certain late 90’s and early 00’s feeling: yes! Raw and sharp riffs: yes! Enough dynamics within the composition: aye aye! Gnarly and icy vocals: present! It doesn’t always have to be all splashy and flashy, sometimes “just good” is even better and meets your needs exactly. This could easily have come from my collection of decades-old demos, but this really is one from 2025. Ahh, all right then, we forgive the band for their obligatory anonymity.
