URAGH is a new Metalcore band hailing from Dublin, Ireland, and this is the band’s debut album. “Monarch” is the first track. What comes out of the gate is a weighed groove with some fanciful meter shifts. The vocals are harsh, and the music is energetic, and there are even some Djent moments here and there. “Apparition” has thick and meaty bass notes under a carefully controlled meter. The vocals and guitars give off a desolate vibe that has peaks of anger at times. “Gewissenbiss” is a very short instrumental that gives off some ominous vibes, but it’s over so fast.

 Segueing into “The Widening Gyre,” notes are heavy and groovy. Listen to how well Jason keeps the meter in this song, and Marcelo’s guitar squeals bring an outer dimension to the song. “Capsize” is a beast, at over nine-minutes in length, and the band is exploring a bit. Much of the leading sound is desolate at first, as well as cold and sterile, but the vocals burn through. At the half-way mark, the sound drops to some introspective moments, and those meaty bass notes are one thing that I have come to enjoy on the album so far. “Regrowth at the Mouth of Sickness” is another lengthy offering, and the groove is strong once again. There is another slow backing off of the sound, before it returns with a dying vengeance.

 “El Cazador” is slow, hopeless, and heavy, but it roars to life with angry vocals. The lengthy “Mo Dhia Maith” closes the album. Bass notes rumble in the deep, followed by clean vocals that are pensive and emotional. A faster pace ensues, marked by dissonant guitar work. It’s like the band poured all of their despair and anger into this final song. Overall, I can’t say enough about the importance of the bass in the mix, as many bands ignore that. The album is both desolate and raging at the same time. But at its core, is a deep dissonance that takes hold inside the listener, and makes him sick from the inside out.