Band:	Uulliata Digir
Album:	Uulliata Digir
Style:	Extreme avantgarde metal
Release date:	January 10, 2025
A review by:	Roman Doez

01. Myrthys
02. Asea
03. Omni Dirga
04. Atti
05. Eldrvari

While the saxophone has been a staple of avant-garde metal since genre’s very inception, with the likes of Mr. Bungle or Pan.thy.monium making prominent use of the brass instrument even back in the 1990s, Uulliata Digir’s trumpet is a relatively uncommon choice, immediately setting them apart in an already very unconventional subgenre.

And this trumpet is not a mere novelty. Its incorporation is very deliberate and a key to the overall sound of the album, as it adds subtle dark jazz undertones that help Uulliata Digir really stand out among the relatively crowded scene of dissonant avant-garde metal. These dark jazz inspirations create a sense of mystery to the album that adds to its slower, more meandering sections but also amplifies the chaotic nature of its more frantic parts. When everything comes crashing down, the trumpet is an integral part of the madness.

But the trumpet is not the only thing helping Uulliata Digir distinguish themselves. Michał Sosnowski, the band’s male vocalist, delivers good growls, sitting somewhere between hardcore and death metal. They are however overshadowed by the excellent Julita Dąbrowska, whose demented vocals come as the cherry on top of this dissonant and avant-garde metaphorical cake of an album. I am a big fan of female vocals in metal, and the ones Uulliata Digir present to us are among the very best I have had the pleasure to hear.

Beyond the avant-garde and the dissonant death, there are strong doom and post metal influences felt here. Uulliata Digir's production is very dense, and the frantic outbursts of violence often lead to this heavy, asphyxiating atmosphere. It is only amplified by the ritualistic drumming and the strong presence of the bass in the mix, which I really like. It all works very well, and I assume it is exactly what the band wanted to achieve, but listening to the full album can become draining.

The songwriting, while very ambitious, can feel disjointed. “Myrthyrs” randomly ends after 10 minutes and then comes back for an additional 4. Those 4 minutes are very good but there must have been a better way to connect those two sections of the song. “Eldrvari” starts with 2 minutes of noodling that sound a little silly and could have been cut much shorter, and the two interludes “Asea” and “Atti” also add very little substance to the album.

On the other hand, “Omni Dirga” is tight and compact, at only 6 minutes of runtime, and perfectly embodies Uulliata Digir’s biggest strengths: chaotic riffing, amazing vocals, and that distinctive trumpet to embellish the whole thing. “Myrthyrs” and “Eldrvari” also possess those qualities, and, as a matter of fact, they are great songs, but “Omni Dirga” is the track I see myself coming back to the most, as it showcases the band’s talent without wasting any time.

As a full piece, Uulliata Digir is not without its flaws. But the inherent qualities found within the album make it really stand-out in the saturated landscape of dissonant avant-garde metal. Those exquisite vocals and that trumpet make listening to it as exciting the 10th time as it was the first, which is one of the best compliments I could give it. As a debut album, it does almost everything right, and I can’t wait to see where Uulliata Digir will go next.