Among the most effective stories told are ones that utilize silence or absence to bring further payoff upon the expiration of the period of stillness. Slasher films are a common vessel for this form of storytelling, as they often feature the return of a psychotic killer or evil embodiment years or decades after the events of the preceding film in a given franchise; and the body count is almost always exponentially larger as well. I liken the return of Ire & Uprise to such storytelling, because, after years of silence, with some people even presuming the band to have disappeared indefinitely, they've finally come for blood and given an intense payoff in the form of Penumbra.
I attended the EP release show for 2016's Empire Complex, which is coming up on its four-year anniversary in March. I feel very strongly about the music on that release, but it only gave a small taste of Ire & Uprise that I've craved a larger bite of for over three years. After the Empire show, the band began to work hard on the follow-up full-length record. By 2017, however, the band's live performances slowed down, and aside from a few studio updates, the future of the band was unclear. That cloudiness has entirely dissipated now, Penumbra lacks all timidity in its approach. From the first riff to the last, the band effectively delivers a massive statement of songwriting and performance that will certainly gather anything but a lukewarm reaction from its listeners. The immediate attention-grabber here is the mind-blowing cover artwork by Justin Abraham (A Loathing Requiem, Oubliette, Inanimate Existence). Upon first glimpse, it necessitates an emotional response, and one would be hard-pressed to not simply stare at it for the entire duration of the album. The piece was described and commissioned by the band, and they made sure that the art reflected the musical content of the record.
If I were to reach into a metaphorical magic bag of sub-genres to try to categorize this one, I might pull out symphonic melodic death / thrash (?) with a dash of that extra thrashy metalcore style showcased by Trivium's Shogun record. The lines between these styles are so expertly blended, rearranged, mixed up and reconstructed that Ire & Uprise comes through as a shining example of a band that's found its sound due to the culmination of the members' many influences, rather than pulling from a list of styles and supergluing them together. The record combines the ambition of Wintersun with the seamless genre-fusion of a band like Skeletonwitch. The music is simply beautiful, intricately weaved dual guitar melodies alongside orchestral elements and synthesizers bring the listener into a new fantastical world. Instrumentally, the album can tell a story on its own before the listener becomes invested in the lyrics, which are tragic but inspiring. This emotional contrast is put on display across every part of Penumbra, which manages to find the beauty in sorrow and loss, and using these difficult moments in life to further its value.
Immediately I noticed the sound here exhibiting not only the members' fine-tuned skills on their respective instruments, but also their trained ears for sound in general. The album is musically and tonally crafted in such a way that no transition is given the allowance to become even slightly jarring, and every instrument sounds just as superb in its timbre as it does in its performance. This attention to detail from the members combined with the masterful production techniques of Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, Wretched) and Ire's own Quinten Ridge, the stars aligned for Penumbra to sound not only professional, but sonically massive. I was particularly impressed by the soaring guitar solos that so perfectly become the forefront of the mix upon their entrance without being intrusive. "The Finite and the Damned" is among my favorite tracks on here simply due to the performance. The guitars here, performed by Ryan Urban and Cameron Harvey, especially and shamelessly show off inspiration from classical music, and it works to a gorgeous effect. "Skein of Delusions" is a go-to song for production value, which features sound effects that accentuate rather than distract from the music. The rhythm section is absolutely astounding, and my favorite example of its inclusion is on "In Retrograde," and despite being a more mid-tempo track than most of the album, it gives Quentin Ridge and Ben Chaussee more room to explore their instruments. The drumming is impeccably tight (and I can't thank everyone involved enough for refraining from the clicky kick sound of much metal of today), and the fretless bass can be heard sliding and hitting every note to perfection.
Across its hour in length, Penumbra is presented as a record with more than just ambition, it's one that delivers heart and passion. Artists in this style of modern metal are too often lacking in heart, just pulling from the tricks that they know are going to work, and these habits become a crutch that can hold any artist back from fulfilling the extents of its potential. With Ire & Uprise, I confidently feel like every single note was thought through, and that the band made sure that there wasn't a single existing element in the western music system that could have worked better in its place. Even if an individual listening to this album didn't personally experience the period of absence between Empire Complex and Penumbra, they would absolutely be able to tell that years of work went into crafting this. To conclude, I love Ire & Uprise's debut full-length, and I'm so impressed by the amount of work on display here.
Penumbra by Ire & Uprise comes out on December 13, pre-order it here.
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