AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: UKĆ — “UNCERTAINTY”

May 172023

I first encountered the music of UKĆ in March of this year thanks to a prompt from Rennie Resmini in his most recent entry at starkweather’s SubStack. It concerned a single song named “Uchodząc” (“Fading Away”) from a then-forthcoming album and read as follows:

“I’ll be damned if the intro to the new track from Poland’s Ukć ‘Uchodząc‘ isn’t distinctly Bathory – Hammerheart meets Swans – “Will We Survive”. Great track that melds this melodic edge and fierce black metal. Looking forward to how this new album shapes up. This is monumental, epic stuff quickly following on the heels of last year’s Przemijanie.”

I probably didn’t need to say anything more about “Uchodząc“, but of course I did. I wrote then: “In its remarkably varied sounds, you’ll find bone-rattling drumwork and spine-jolting riffage, as well as sensations of harrowing and scintillating grandeur complemented by horn-like and chime-like tones, plus striking vocal intensity (along with gloomy spoken words and some singing) — and a lilting acoustic melody that’s sublime.”

Having listened, I wanted to know about the lyrics. Because they were in Polish, I resorted to Google Translate, which told me that the song was about a child’s yearning to live, to learn, to love, within a twisted reality that’s “blind, deaf, stupid, indifferent”, and brutally kicks hope in the face.

Photo Credit: Robert Zembrzycki

The album, Coming Out, was eventually released in mid-April. The meaning of the album title was described by UKĆ‘s solo creator Łukasz “Icanraz” Sarnacki, who is best-known from his work with bands such as Corruption, Christ Agony, Devilish Impressions, Hermh, Abused Majesty, Virgin Snatch, Darzamat, and Voidfire:

“The album contains eight extensive compositions filled to the brim with emotions and very personal lyrics. It’s atmospheric metal with a rock flair where stylistic boundaries seem to be non-existent. This music is aimed at people with open minds and is my absolute artistic coming out. It was the first time I stepped out of my comfort zone and did something of this magnitude.”

Since the album’s release, Sarnacki further followed this impulse to break boundaries by recording the album in English, with an aim to reach different audiences. Of course it’s also a sign of the importance of the lyrics in what UKĆ created on Coming Out.

What we have for you today is a video premiere for one of the songs on the new English rendition of the album, which will be digitally released on August 18th of this year. This one is “Uncertainty” (“Niepewność” in its original version). It happens to immediately follow the song discussed at the outset of this article.

The words for this one (as I perceive them) express the thoughts of a distressed and haunted soul, expressing the narrator’s frustrations about the disbelief and stupidity of humankind and the uncertainty of finding companionship and pleasure, or any future worth living. It also seems to be a yearning remembrance of another person’s love, faith, friendship, and sacrifice.

Those words come through in the song with intense fervor, in vocals that channel the protagonist’s wretchedness in shattering fashion — roaring, screaming, and soaring in song. The visuals are themselves disturbing, but equally riveting.

Speaking of riveting, the music is a powerhouse of sound, but enriched by changing facets. It has visceral strength, and grooves that hit like battering rams and hammer in a fury. The guitars and keyboards ring and writhe, flare like flames and sparkle like stars. The feverish tension and riotous turmoil in the music are electrifying, and when the music and the voice soar, it’s a spine-tingling combination, even though the feelings of angst and loss are palpable.

And as if all that weren’t enough to nail a listener in place, the song also includes a gem of a guitar solo that by itself seems to encapsulate all of the song’s moods (and those of the lyrics too). All in all, “Uncertainty” is not merely bursting with energy and emotional power, it’s a big head-hooker too.