With their debut album, "Penumbra", IRE & UPRISE explodes unto the world with their Melodic Death Metal sound. IRE & UPRISE was founded in 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee with influences from genres such as thrash, death, black and melodic roots. "Penumbra" was written largely from pain and loss, insanity and inner torment. This album was written in remembrance of Cameron Harvey's father who, sadly, passed on in 2016. Thus, IRE & UPRISE have cultivated their sound into a "darker and more elegant direction to reflect their own life experiences", to quote. Albums written from a band's life experiences are a personal favorite of mine, easy to relate to. So much of metal is emotionally packed, albums written through feelings reach out to us and express in so many ways that we are not alone. Each of us bears scars from the ever ominous and brooding past. Loss, heartache, failure, addictions... Yet once we are able to realize that we are not a product of that pain, rather we are a product of the strides we make we are able to grow. Even baby steps in the right direction are still steps. Keep on steppin'!

"Incarnadine" - Emphatically mellifluous, softly leading to its core. The long dark hallway echoing wispy tendrils of despair. Growing upon your soul like ivy on an old building, its green lace slowly choking all life. A soft beginning that leads into heavy vocals, a song sung of loneliness. "From Nothing" - Very progressive vocals, yet true to its melodic nature. Make no mistake, this is a hard-hitting song. Larger than life sound. Fiendish screams cut deep gashes in your soul, hard and unforgiving. "Silver Storm" - Finger plucked guitar chords, and synth; the perfect storm. Tendrils of melodic tones curl around the edges of the solidity of the blast beats, tremolo plucking, heavy drum, and scathing vocals. This is the pent up rage deep within your psyche.

"The Finite and the Damned" - Melodic synthesis, a fantastical inflection that plays on the discord of the mind. Resonating both longing and rage, standing in the stead of desolation. Fiery and vengeful, until its final keyboard notes. "A Question of Time (Threnody)" - Like softly sailing, riding the rings of Saturn's belt. With faint voices in the background, like a dream state. That place between waking and a dream, where you can't yet make sense of the madness. Yet are grasping so hard for the rigidness of what's real, in a wave of fluid thought. IRE & UPRISE embodies a the "Gothenburg Metal" feel in a big way. From immensely searing vocals; torturous, and agonizing arioso. Easily relatable connotations of pain is the foundation "Penumbra" was written from. A stance of the emptiness of loss. This is a harder album for those of you who like it heavy. Yet, still there are pieces that would appeal to those who like it a little softer too. This is a great album from beginning to end.