There are many times when I get an e-mail in my inbox from a publicist or a record label telling me of a band with which I’m not yet familiar. I’d say eight times out of 10 I file the thing away for later, not because I’m a jerk but simply because so few new bands sound like they have anything interesting to offer. Then I’ll get a write-up that makes me think I need to hear the band immediately based on the description and how it may match my tastes. I’ve become pretty good at this, and usually if I pursue something out of the blue, I end up enjoying what I hear.

A few weeks ago I got something about the doom band Uzala, who originate from very un-metal-sounding Boise, Idaho. Their music pays some homage to (but doesn’t sound exactly like) the pioneers such as Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Electric Wizard as well as newer crushers Witch Mountain, Jex Thoth and Blood Ceremony (minus the flutes, that is) and boasts the vocal duo of siren/guitarist Darcy Nutt (who also is an esteemed tattoo artist) and guitarist/growler Chad Remains. Without making an issue of gender (I hope), I’m all for female-fronted doom bands. I really like to hear a strong, smoky female voice overtop slow-driving, filthy, metallic riffs, and I generally end up liking those bands more than like-minded male-fronted outfits. I don’t know why that is, and it isn’t a conscious decision. It’s just what I prefer, I guess. So that’s another thing that interested me in hearing Uzala, and Nutt’s voice (that has some Veruca Salt/The Breeders influences) matches the material just perfectly. Her expression and passion are unquestioned, and with just this one release, she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite doom voices. While Remains gets a chance to scare the crap out of you on occasion, his lead work only pops up now and again (on punishing “Fracture” and “Wardrums,” where he’s in total command).

The music has a vintage, under-produced feel that gives it a certain charm and character. So don’t read that as a criticism. I like that Uzala’s music isn’t super-polished. It makes the guitar work sound more menacing, the drums meatier and the vocals extra human. It’s easier to connect in a way because it seems like such a primitive expression that your inner beast cannot help but relate. Uzala’s music also sparks the part of my brain that identifies with the glory days of black metal. I mean, listen to opener “Batholith” and try to deny that spirit isn’t here. It’s music that has its pretty, calm spots, but there are twice as many scars and bleeding wounds to ensure you wallow in sorrow and despair.

“The Reaping” is a nice bit of trad doom that’s calculating and mesmerizing at the same time. It’s easy to get lost in there. “Ice Castle” has a mystical, psychedelic finish that’s dressed in a simmering lead guitar line that gives the track some teeth. “Cataract” is the first epic on the record, and its dusty soulfulness is countered by classic metal riffing and soloing that might remind you of why you fell in love with the genre in the first place. “Death Masque” totally soars, both musically and with Nutt’s vocals, and that leads to slow bleeding “Plague,” that boils your senses, eventually churning into what sounds like a dark spiritual. The aforementioned “Fracture” and “Wardrums” are where the band lets out its penchant for violence and skullduggery, settling in somewhere between the first and second waves of Nordic black metal. It drags your ass down into that dark basement where water drips from the ceiling and spiders leave their half-eaten prey.

Uzala are a really promising band whose best years are still ahead of them. They have the makings of an underground group of artists coming into their own who could be ripe to be picked by an indie metal label such as Profound Lore or even Relapse and sound right at home. I’m excited to see where this band goes next, and considering the passion and heart with which they play, I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.

At War With False Noise is producing 333 vinyl copies of Uzala’s debut. You also will be able to buy as cassette version via Witch Sermon. Get on this. Find both links below.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/UZALA/108093595875096

To buy the vinyl, go here: http://www.atwarwithfalsenoise.com/releases.html

To buy the cassette version, go here: http://witchsermon.wordpress.com/