UKĆ „Coming Out”

Seven Gates Of Hell, April 2023

Music: Atmospheric Black Metal / Progressive Metal

Website:

https://www.facebook.com/ukc.comingout/

https://www.youtube.com/@ukcofficial40

https://lukaszicanrazsarnacki.pl/en/

https://ukc-comingout.bandcamp.com/

Duration: 37:04 (6 tracks)

Country: Polska

When I first noticed the name UKĆ (it sounds Polish, but it does not exist in this language) and watched the first video called “Niepewność” I found it very intriguing and quite unconventional. As a result, I was certain that the whole album will surely be worth checking. Polish drummer Łukasz “Icanraz” Sarnacki (the name comes from his nickname) is standing behind this project and he is well known in the genre thanks to playing in quite a few names as a core member or as a session musician. He mostly specialised in black metal, but not only and this project is not that typical album in that style either.

For the sake of not labelling the music, let’s just call it metal in general as it definitely sounds like that and what is more the topics in the lyrics are heavy as hell too. They definitely stand out from the very first listen, as they touch very serious and difficult themes. So far, they are only in Polish, but the English version will officially appear this year in August. At the moment, only the first single „Niepewność” has an English version called „Uncertainty” and is available on of EP called „Przemijanie” which was issued on CD in November 2022. It was clear that Icanraz paid a lot of attention to lyrics and treated them as equally important as the music. They are very straight forward and they are mostly screamed or narrated with only a few melodic refrains which are sung in a more typical way. It was a surprising interpretation, but I got used to that approach with one exception called “W przepaść”. This song is spoken most of the time and together with the music it felt a little dull.

In my opinion, apart from the above track, we have a lot to explore musically. There are so many things happening on the album like tempo changes and various styles from black metal blast beats to totally calm and progressive licks (see “Uchodząc” and “Głuche Oczy”). There is a great balance between all the extreme emotions presented there. The genres smoothly overlap and at the same time stay coherent within each song, which is a big advantage of the album. “Głuche Oczy” is one of the best examples of how UKĆ can create a certain atmosphere in the songs and in a way control the emotions of the listener. The track develops slowly in its own tempo then it calms down for a while and builds up again to a climax with a tornado of guitars and drums. The song reminds me of MY DYING BRIDE’s “Dreadful Hours” which touches similar topic lyrically and has similar dramatic twists. UKĆ is not that close stylistically to doom metal legends, but when it comes to musical sensitivity they have a lot in common.

“Coming Out” is an album which requires attention from the listener. It will bring much more joy while listening if you go deeper into whole content of the album with proper focus, then you will catch all those minor details which you may miss otherwise. If you are still hungry for more music like this, it’s worth to check abovementioned EP called “Przemijanie” which was issued earlier as some kind a teaser to full album.

Tracklist:
1. Królu dnia…
2. Uchodząc
3. Niepewność
4. Głuche oczy
5. W przepaść
6. … Głupcze życia

Line-up:
UKĆ – vocals, guitars, bass, drums and keyboards

Rate: 8.5/10