Album Review: Urbain – A Soul Purged (Hypnotic Dirge Records)

Urbain’s debut album ‘A Soul Purged’ is more than a black metal album; it’s a cathartic scream into the void, a sonic portrait of a world spiralling into the depths of indifference and ignorance. The album is out now via Hypnotic Dirge Records.

The company of Urbain and their debut album might be black metal orientated, but it is not the ‘be all and end all’ of their sound. This band is aiming to challenge black metal experiences and that is notable from the start with Perception. An opening track that focuses on gothic-toned and gloomy piano melody, before transitioning into a scathing atmospherically heavy blast of savagery. The chill that comes from this track will be felt deeply, yet it has such an epic stance overall, with layers of melody and traditional metal moments.

It’s a start that guarantees this album will have grabbed a ton of attention already.

Yet, it is just that. The start, and with C.A.F.O. Urbain offer up an early breather as they keep things melodious for a short amount of time. Before bringing a cacophony of brash and brilliant intensity with the gargantuan sound of Without Conscience. Urbain continuing to sound possessed, but coating their ferocity with so much atmosphere, it feels transformative.

Especially as it ends and transitions in the mellow, gloomy sound of Lockdown. The lamentable melody of this track, and how it picks up in pace, is reminiscent of confusion, hopelessness, and fear. Which leads wonderfully (how great is the flow of this album!?) into the angry, harsh, and grandiose title track. Three words that combine to create a tortured listen.

Bissonnet then continues the theme of dark and despairing intermissions. Arguably the most worrisome one of all, before Unseen sends the mind spiralling into the darkness at a rate not seen yet. Urbain delight (to some degree) in showcasing misery in its bleakest form, though they are masters of making it so listenable.

Which is why fatigue doesn’t set in and the desire to hear more is still high come the final portion of the album. There is Nihilophobia, a little over a minute of dramatic and cinematic gloom, and there is No God to Greet Me. A mournful and monstrous example of how Urbain combine deep melodies with black metal. Sounding more extravagant than ever, it is a thrilling finale that leaves the listener with such a sense of wonder.

Urbain promised to not stick to the black metal rules, and they have more than lived up to that promise. A Soul Purged is a spectacular slice of forlorn heaviness, with thick emotive atmosphere, and layered beauty throughout.

Urbain – A Soul Purged Track Listing:

1. Perception
2. C.A.F.O.
3. Without Conscience
4. Lockdown
5. A Soul Purged
6. Bissonnet
7. Unseen
8. Nihilophobia
9. No God to Greet Me

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