Uvikra/Bi/2012 CD Review

  Uvikra  are  a  1  man  band  from  Lithuania  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  the  musical  style  on  this  recording  being  progressive  black/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Bi".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast riffs  that  combine  the  darkest  elements  of  black,  death  and  progressive  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  raw  and  primitive  style  riffing  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  and  guitar  slides,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  raw  and  primitive  sounding  black/death  metal  guitar solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  black/death  metal  growls  along  with  a  brief  use  of  out  of  key  clean  singing  being  utilized  on  a  couple  of  songs,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound    with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Uvikra  as  well  as  continuing  the  tradition  on  creating  a  different  sound  with  each  release  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  this  band,  you  should c heck  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Weak  Hands"  and  "Leads  In  Letters".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Uvikra Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?
1. Uvikra is a Lithuanian one man band, Loikav being the lone member, that generally plays black metal.

2. When listening to your music I noticed the full length was more second wave black metal and the new ep is black/death, what made you decide to experiment with different styles on each release?
2. Afer finishing the first album I thought that its style was something I had done enough, and there wasn't anywhere left to go with it. I wasn't interested in writing anymore music like that with melodic, harmonious riffs, screamed vocals. Instead I wanted to do something uglier and even more straight forward, with chromatic riffs and low vocals. I wouldn't even call it experimenting, it was like a natural progression.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?
3. On the first album it's mostly about death in various ways, but usually with not a very serious tone. On the EP it's kind of reflective on daily life in general, and very vague. A lot of just writing whatever comes to mind.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
4. It's kind of a secret, so can't tell.

5. Currently you are only a solo project, are you planning on adding any members in the future or do you choose to remain solo?
5. I'm interested in adding members to make a proper band, and maybe playing live. I would be the drummer, and would need a bassist, two guitarists, and a vocalist. Or either of the guitarists or bassist could sing.

6. Have you participated in any other bands or is this your first project?
6. Other than some past non-metal projects of my own that are unreleased and fooling around with some friends, this is my first project.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?
7. It would be nice to properly release my music on a legitimate label, but I don't know which type yet because my music varies in style with different releases, at least so far.

8.On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by black metal fans that have heard the music so far?
8. I didn't get enough feedback to generalize yet. There's the occasional positive response or negative, but no general consensus.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
9. Currently I'm working on a second album which goes in a kind of progressive black/death metal direction.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10. I've been influenced by a lot of the obvious bands that people first listen to when discovering metal, lots of old school death metal and first and second wave black metal, as well as indirect influences from various rock in general. Nowadays I listen to a little bit of lots of stuff, so can't name anything in particular.

11. How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of Lithuania?
11. There's not much of a scene that I know of. There are active bands here and there, and there are some shows in very small clubs in Vilnius, but I don't have contact with any of them personally.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
12. They're too insignificant to mention, I guess music is my main interest.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
13. Thanks for the interview. Enjoy the music, all of which is out as free downloads at http://uvikra.bandcamp.com .

Uvikra/Patterns Of Life/2011 EP Review

  Uvikra are a project from Lithuana that had there full length reviewed by this zine and they go for more of a raw black/death sound on this release and his is a review of their 2011 E.P "Patterns Of Life".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that mix the most primitive forms of black and death metal, while the lead guitars are old school death metal sounding leads.

Vocals are all deep black/death metal growls, while the lyrics cover dark and occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark and raw feel to it.

In my opinion  Uvikra create some good quality black/death with this e.p and this a lot more different sounding than the full length, and if you are a fan of black/death metal, you should check out this e.p. RECOMMENDED TRACK "The Creator Is The Proudest". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://uvikra.bandcamp.com/album/patterns-of-life

Uvikra/Self Titled/2010 CD Review

  Uvikra are a 1 man band from Lithuania that plays a very old school form of 90's black metal on this album and this is a review of their self released debut album.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being used at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast raw black metal riffs that contain some of the best elements of second wave black metal and on a couple of songs there is some slow and soft playing that brings an acoustical feel to the music but it is only use for a few seconds, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding black metal guitar leads.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal scrams, while the lyrics cover dark and occult themes, as for the production it has a very dark and raw sound to it.

In my opinion Uvikra create some very good second wave black metal with this release and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ritualistic Preparation" and "Plagued By Death". RECOMMENDED BUY.