Style: Progressive/Post (heavy vocals)
Review by: Tyler
Country: Ukraine
Release date: 14-08-2020
I have a feeling that Europe knows something that we over here in world’s asshole don’t. The music that pours out of that place is typically on a different level. There is just a sense of honesty that they can tap into that we really don’t get too often. I often feel that metal can feel too manufactured and processed, that it’s heavy for heavy’s sake and not heavy because that’s what feels appropriate. Somehow, Nug missed that memo because even though they are singing in gosh darn Ukranian, I feel more listening to Alter Ego than I do with most albums stateside.
I will say that sonically, this album isn’t a totally original opus, we’ve heard this brand of progressive post metal before. One European band comes to mind that I won’t mention by name, but golly does this painting of an ocean scene great. Almost like the real thing! I’m not saying that they are copying that sound totally, I would say Nug has a more raw and less polished sludge-ish way about them. Also, I think the vocals here fit the sound perfectly. Mixing elements of post metal and black metal pretty seamlessly when the time calls. The song “Beast” makes for a good example. The first lines heard are almost barked by the beast itself, and later during the more grooved and laid back portions being a bit more depressed, even adding some clean vocals over the top.
As for the other performance, I felt the emotion from the instrumentalists as much as the vocalist. The parts aren’t terribly complex by any means, but with music like this, it would just be distracting. The riffs absolutely destroy here. They are heavy and brooding, and mixed with drums that are just a little muffled and the desperation in the vocals, this is heavier than any of those ‘heavy for the sake of it guys’. It’s definitely one of those instances where the end product is greater than the sum of its parts, and I really appreciate that as the album progresses, synthesis becomes a much bigger player, especially the erie “Shores”, which is arguably the peak of the album. The way the tone is set for the first minute, and then introducing an ethereal guitar over some down right spanky riffs hit me different.
My one criticism with Alter Ego is my problem with a lot of bands in a similar style, and that’s song length. I could feel at least a couple songs parts that could have been shorter. I never want to have my attention grabbed away from the music, but some parts dragged a bit. This is something that isn’t nearly offensive here than I’ve heard on other albums, but some of the parts like the intro of Eleven for example could have made a totally different impact, one more urgent and would have made it stand out a bit more than other spots, with some brevity. This is of course a nitpick, and not one that should take away from the otherwise stellar showing of songwriting.
I’ll admit that I picked this album because the band’s name made me chuckle for a hot minute (I was unaware of the Lovecraftian origin), I wasn’t expecting to feel so moved by a band that I can’t even understand lyrically. I ended up listening to this one quite a bit and kind of fell in love with how sincere it is. I can listen to a bonkers band like Zilf a million times, but sometimes, nothing beats music that means something.
Recommended tracks: Beast, Shore, Radiance
Recommended for fans of: Neurosis, The Ocean, ISIS
Final verdict: 8.5/10
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Nug is:
– Юрій Дубровський (vocals)
– Євген Тарасенко (drums)
– Богдан Калинець (bass)
– Віталій Рисаков (guitars)
– Юрій Попов (guitars)
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