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There are many who will hear the "new" in Norwegian metal band Urarv's latest EP. This isn't an unfair assumption to make; the band's existence is markedly unique and bizarre, and last year's Aurum was heralded as a masterful tour de strange. It is serpentine, ranting and raving through the bizarre and pseudo melodic, dancing around the idea of black metal without ever fully homing in on it. Listen to the Argentum EP exclusively below.

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However, "new" might not cut it. Vocalist and guitarist Aldrahn's pedigree and Urarv's stylistic intrigue speak more to a specific "old" than anything current. Following in the odd footsteps of Dødheimsgard's debut -- Kronet til konge is cited by Aldrahn as an album for which he is "largely responsible" -- Urarv's new EP, recorded immediately after their full-length was released last year, pits the idea of the "old" against the "new." However modern this progressive take on some form of extreme music is, Aldrahn's own style surfaces as inherent to its mastermind.

Musically, there is an immediate connection to last year's Aurum, due both to the consistency of its creative sources and the brief timeframe in which the two releases were recorded. However, Argentum is fiercer and has sharp edges, more "black" than the red of its predecessor; the color-centric emphasis of both albums manifests on their similar sigil-centered cover art.

However black the music is, Aldrahn insists that Urarv is separate from black metal. Given how long he has been active in the Norwegian scene, there is a romantic notion that music he creates is some parallel, existing alongside black metal. Time will tell if Urarv is remembered as such.

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Argentum will be released June 1st on Svart Records. Follow Urarv on Facebook.

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