There are some bands that can easily write songs detailing the end of the world, although very few can mastermind a true nightmarish wasteland like Uranium. The one-man blackened industrial act has definitely captured my attention in the past with prior releases which featured some inhumanely insidious arrangements. This new offering titled, “Corrosion of Existence,” maintains an entropically surrealistic overall sound of sonic savagery and harrowing industrial noises, but pushes even further into the abysmal black void of humanity’s ultimate doom.
Teaming up once again with the mighty Sentient Ruin, a label known for promoting some of the most extremely unapologetic underground acts around, Uranium does not fail to deliver an album that compliments the label’s malevolent vision. Actually, I would say that Uranium is one of Sentient Ruin’s most diabolical and downright sadistic artistic visionaries, which is saying something as the label has put out a countless number of profoundly extreme sounding releases in the past. I would say that Uranium’s sound might be an acquired taste for some, but if anyone is looking of punishing industrial arrangements with bleak atmospheres clouded in the distorted ashes of nuclear fallout, then you will become instantly hooked by this latest release.
“Corrosion of Existence,” is an exploration into some utterly dark soundscapes and the opening track, “Bliss and Void,” marks the beginning of the aural annihilation. After hearing someone countdown as if getting ready to launch a nuclear missile to bring about apocalyptic destruction upon the world, you feel completely torn and twisted by all the dissonant sounds. Like with most industrial acts, the music creates a very harsh and sinisterly adrenaline pumping environment where one can become overwhelmed by the tsunami of agonizing noises. The vocals are completely grotesque which adds to the catastrophic mixture of vile distortion and frantic machine like sounds bursting through the storm of hellish noises. I thought the album’s second track, “Traffic Warden,” was more explosive, especially pertaining to the constant rush of tormenting aggression heard throughout the track which I would say is very similar to that of a band such as Godflesh.
There is no denying that Uranium is focused on creating these unconventional sounding landscapes where everything is in utter disarray, yet still manages to capture your attention in a hypnotically ruthless manner. “Descent Into Entropic Death,” contains some ear piercing sounds, while also throwing down plenty of monumental industrial rhythms. The overall composition with all these different abhorrent sounds thrown together achieves a very horrifying theme. Speaking of horrifying themes, “Concrete Tombs,” is probably the most effectively haunting and downright terrifying tracks off of the album. The atmosphere literally is void of all light as you begin to see miles of endless destruction and mounds of rubble from all the unspeakable devastation. I thought that the album could have ended right there, but Uranium decided to pile on more profoundly extreme arrangements with the final song, “Corrosion of Existence.” The song is appropriately title because you find your sanity begin to slip away as the music violently transitions from one suffocating direction to the next.
Uranium is an act that people can try and compared to other past extreme industrial and blackened death noises acts from all around the world, however, I would say that Uranium has definitely solidified their own unapologetically decimating artistic persona, especially on this new release. “Corrosion of Existence,” serves as another surrealistic exploration into the atrocities that shall befall humanity if we become victim to nuclear armageddon, which is why I would recommend checking out this album out if you are interested in such a serious and consequential topic. Musically, the album's overall sound is such that you'll either find it to be vividly enthralling, or sadistically overwhelming to the ears. Either way, I guarantee it will leave an impact on you, which seems to happen with a lot of artists on Sentient Ruin.
Check out the track "Descent Into Entropic Death" below:
Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:
https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/corrosion-of-existence
