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Friday Full-Length: Uzala, Tales of Blood and Fire

The second and final Uzala album, Tales of Blood and Fire, was released in 2013 through King of the Monsters Records on CD/LP and Gypsyblood Records on tape, with a dissatisfied and up-to-no-good looking Pan by Tony Roberts on the cover who seemed like he was about to lead us all into the river. Comprised just of five tracks running 43 minutes, it was recorded by the esteemed Tad Doyle (TAD, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, etc.) and not at all shy about the doomed intent of the Boise, Idaho-based band. “Seven Veils” and “Dark Days,” the opening salvo, cast out morose atmospheres and weighted buzz in the guitars of Darcy Nutt and Chad Remains, while Chuck Watkins — an import from Portland, Oregon, who was also in Graves at Sea at the time and has featured in enough other bands to earn the title “journeyman” — filled the drummer role with a suitably massive, slow-swinging style that only emphasized the soul at the core of their melodies.

Tales of Blood and Fire — my East Coast head always associates the title with Type O Negative‘s “Blood and Fire” from Bloody Kisses, but whether that’s a reference they were shooting for, I’ve no idea; Uzala‘s style was less outwardly goth than Peter Steele and company were working toward being some 20 years earlier, but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate a thing — followed behind their 2012 self-titled debut (review here), a 12″ two-songer and a quick-turnaround split with Mala Suerte (review here) that boasted the track “Burned,” which also would go on to be the centerpiece of the second LP. “Burned” is the shortest cut on Tales of Blood and Fire by a decent margin, but its roll seems to breathe life into the proceedings at just the right moment, rounding out side A with a more forward progression after the murk in which “Seven Veils” and “Dark Days” take place. It’s a righteous turn, and still consistent in tone and the overarching ambience. One recalls the band’s promo pictures at the time often featured Chad Remains giving a firm thumbs-down, and that was as efficient a summaryUZALA TALES OF BLOOD AND FIRE of their perspective as one might ask, if perhaps a simplification in terms of what they had to offer in terms of the character in Nutt‘s vocals or Remains‘ solos. Tales of Blood and Fire was a grower in the genuine sense, to my mind Uzala were underrated for as long as they were around.

You can go around in circles forever with the layered verse lines of “Countess,” the penultimate track on the record, which is the first of two to top the 11-minute mark. Its slow nod and resolute crash is the stuff of backpatchy dreams, and might be the moment where Uzala most realize the balance between lush melody and raw, crusty tone that was at the heart of their approach. But every time I hit up Tales of Blood and Fire, I can’t help but go for the last cut, “Tenement of the Lost.” It’s the longest song on the album at 12:10, but it picks up from the feedback-caked ending of “Countess” with faded-in rumble and noise, and it spends nearly half its total runtime in precisely that mire. It’s nearly five and a half minutes of absolute tonal wash before the subdued central guitar figure emerges, and even then the noise holds sway for a longer on a gradual fade into a position deeper in the mix. Maybe the irony of it is that Uzala‘s last recorded statement is both their grossest onslaught of distortion and most minimalist, with Nutt‘s vocals topping that quiet guitar, no drums to speak of and no fuller-volume push coming. Almost a hidden track because how much they buried it, it’s a moment that nonetheless defines the atmosphere of the record, at least for me, in listening.

And as much as I relish in the revisit to Tales of Blood and Fire as a whole, I’ll confess my primary impression of “Tenement of the Lost” was live. I was fortunate enough to see Uzala twice during their time, and the first was Oct. 23, 2013 (review here), in Providence, Rhode Island. They closed the set with “Tenement of the Lost,” and it was late. The venue was called Dusk, and it had been hours since Mike Scheidt of YOB opened the show with a solo set. Crappy lights, cramped stage, but loud, and again, late. Late enough that as Uzala played “Tenement of the Lost,” the house lights came up in a classic wrap-it-up message from the bar to the band. Uzala kept playing. I guess Boise to Providence was enough of a trip they figured screw it, and standing in front of the trio while they played that quiet, mournful track, they could’ve kept going for as long as they wanted as far I was concerned. It was a thing of beauty, not just because the lights were up, but that feeling of a time already being passed gave the track’s emotionalism a sense of urgency that, when I listen to it now, it retains.

The second time I saw Uzala was at Roadburn 2015 (review here), and their set was likewise captivating. It would end up being released as Live at Roadburn MMXV (review here) through Burning World Records and my photos were used on the cover, which is always validating. They didn’t play “Tenement of the Lost,” but I stuck around for the entirety of their time just the same, and was all the more glad I did when they announced their disbanding early in 2017Remains resurfaced in 2019 with the gleefully extreme Ghorot, which also features Carson Russell of Ealdor Bealu, and they finished a recording together late in Summer 2020 to be released through Transylvanian Tapes. I have no idea when, but it’ll be worth looking out for.

Maybe I’m feeling sentimental here, but whatever. It’s been eight years and this record holds up, so whatever your own association with it might be or if you don’t have one, hearing it isn’t gonna hurt any more than it’s intended to. This was a better band than people seemed to know.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

Kind of a rough week in the ol’ noggin, but so it goes. Yesterday I spent most of whatever time I could in bed. A bunch of writing to do, of course, but just couldn’t put my head in it, and the pace at which I’ve worked on the above this morning tells me maybe I should go put the pillow over my face again. I don’t know that I will. I could stand to shower. It’s been a couple days and I fairly well reek. Whatever.

I watched a little bit of the Roadburn Redux stuff yesterday, and I expect I’ll watch more at some point today, tomorrow, etc. They platform they’ve built is beautiful. Even just as a blog back-end, the design is amazing. Makes me want a new WordPress theme, if nothing else. 13 years later, maybe it’s time, but I figure if I hold out long enough, the look of this site will be retro and thus cool again. Much as it ever was. I don’t know.

Anyway. I’m not gonna review that or anything, because ultimately it just makes me sad, and I’m sad enough.

Next week is full. I don’t even know of what yet, but videos and reviews and such. I wanted to write more than I did this week. Exhausted. So it goes.

I don’t know.

Gimme Metal show today, 5PM Eastern. Standard or Daylight time, whichever one it is now. Daylight? I don’t know that either.

Great and safe weekend. Have fun, watch your head, hydrate, all that good stuff. Maybe I’ll go drink some water too. Yeah, alright.

FRM.

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2 Responses to “Friday Full-Length: Uzala, Tales of Blood and Fire

  1. Craig says:

    Dude I don’t want you to change the theme. I’m old enough to have had the job title “Webmaster” and this is 100% retro-cool to me for sure.

    The only thing missing from this site is a place I can toss you a few $$$ for the great work you do. You’ve turned me on to many bands and I’m listening to EARTHBONG as I type this.

    Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and have a rockin’ weekend. Hope you feel better soon!
    -C

  2. Gaia says:

    Thanks once again for this shot of nostalgia! Always love the Friday column. It’s probably the one I read every letter of. Be well.

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