Uada - Crepuscule Natura

Angry Metal Guy

A steady stream of music since 2016 and a consistent touring schedule has resulted in the increasing popularity of Oregon’s Uada.¹ I’ve long since established that their debut marks my favorite of their work but the band clearly feels a positive progression indicated through their releases’ artwork. Beginning with a tortured skeleton with lifeless child in tow, they’ve developed through a figure casting a spell, a djinn rising and now a cosmic deity wielding the earth in space. Perhaps they suggest their growth in form and power, but I feel that their subsequent releases haven’t matched the unbridled vibrancy and massive hooks of the debut. How does Uada sound in 2023 on Crepuscule Natura?

The answer is much the same as they did in 2020. And in 2018 before that. And in 2016 before that. All songs feature a solid melodic loop that winds its way through the core, always returning back to this idea as the songs change. Uada’s characteristic shredding guitar appears early and often, wrapping the blackened proceedings in a thick melodic drape. Crepuscule Natura is what 99% of the world would call intolerably heavy, but what a black metal fan would call very melodic. That their melodies are uniquely hummable belies the strong hand guiding the songwriting pen. The track-listing also mimics prior releases with a selection of girthy tracks giving way to a mammoth-sized finale. And as ever, the guitars dominate proceedings with the drums filling out a robust soundstage, although the vocals feel more extraneous with each release. Crepuscule Natura only features the mix of gurgles and gargles occasionally and they’re used to offer a new texture rather than a new melody to enjoy. So far, so Uada.

The title track is the first indicator of my greatest songwriting grievance on Crepuscule Natura. It shifts into a slower, simpler passage around its middle, presumably to offer some dynamism. Just as the song moves on from this to an enjoyably groovy lead, it drags things back to the slow passage again. Likewise, “The Dark (Winter”) and “Through the Wax and through the Wane” feature slow passages that do nothing except grind proceedings to a halt. I understand that Uada wants to break down and introduce variety to their music, but these languid parts are the most boring on the record. Usually, I’m a sucker for dynamism and variety but here they’re insufficiently atmospheric or emotive to justify their inclusion. Further, the slow transition after 8:00 on “Through the Wax and through the Wane” acts as a marker after which the album accelerates towards into conclusion with freshly invigorated and furious blackened maelstrom. But this transition just highlights that the song before and after it sounds completely different. It begs the question of whether Uada really needs 10+ minute closers where 2 separate tracks would offer a more natural pause than a dull interlude or transition.

At just 42 minutes, Crepuscule Natura is a pleasing step back towards the length of Devoid of Light, especially when compared with the 2 intervening records which approached an hour. But with an average song duration of over 8 minutes, I’ll still advocate for Uada’s use of a ruthless and blunt editor to enforce greater brevity and less repetition. As previously, either the good stuff is repeated too much which dulls its effect, or there’s too much repetition of the blander stuff before reaching the good stuff. The opener “The Abyss Gazing Back” takes 4 minutes to reach an angry, blackened passage that isn’t a part of the song’s opening melodic loop. Even the title track, the shortest of the 5, runs for over 6 and a half minutes and feels too long. Imagine how long the 12-minute closer feels; the same riff persists through the spine of the song for 7 straight minutes. Sure, there are drums, vocals, and other embellishments shifting alongside this riff, but it isn’t good enough to carry the music for so long. By contrast, only “Retraversing the Void” doesn’t overstay its welcome, through the strength of its core melodic motif and lack of extended slower passages. It consequently has an enduring vibrancy and urgency.

Those seeking more of the same will definitely find it on Crepuscule Natura. It remains the reliable, melodic black metal you’ve enjoyed previously. But those that weren’t enticed previously will hear little to entice them now. It moves with more-or-less the same style of guitar riffs and harmonies, the same mixture of vocals, and the same sound you would expect from a melodic black metal release. There’s little here that would challenge an existing Uada or black metal fan. But Uada’s supremely melodic traits mean they offer a brand of music that may be more appealing for black metal novices. If you’ve been waiting for a hook into black metal, you could do worse than Crepuscule Natura.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Eisenwald
Websites: uada.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/uada
Releases Worldwide: September 8th, 2023

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