UMUR "Arc" is en EP release by US grindcore act Agoraphobic Nosebleed. The EP was released through Relapse Records in January 2016. It´s the first in a planned four part series of EPs by the band representing each individual member´s influences and impact on the band´s music. "Arc" is the vision of lead vocalist Kat (real name Katherine Katz) and shows a much heavier sound than what we´re used to from Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

Agoraphobic Nosebleed is predominantly known as a grindcore act, but the 3 tracks on the 27:15 minutes long EP are all doom/sludge metal tracks and you won´t find a single blast beat or fast section on this release (as it´s Kat´s vision it´s not that surprising though given her past in sludge/doom metal act Salome). Ranging from 7 to almost 12 minutes long, the three tracks featured on the EP are also a far cry from the band´s usual 1 minute long grindcore songs. Agoraphobic Nosebleed haven´t been as busy as usual in the last couple of years and since the release of their latest studio album "Agorapocalypse (2009)", they´ve only released a couple of minor releases (the last before "Arc" was "The Honkey Reduxtion EP (2015)"), so maybe they were in need of new inspiration, and letting each member control the direction of a release sounds like an interesting project. It should be noted though that the material featured on the EP was already recorded between July 2013 and August 2014, so it´s not exactly dewy.

It´s not that doom/sludge is completely strange to Agoraphobic Nosebleed, because they´ve experimented with that style of music before (for example on the 2011 "And On and On..." split with Despise You), and they also succeed playing the style here. Kat takes the lead on the vocals and as usual we´re exposed to her extremely aggressive and raw distorted vocals. There´s a very convincing caustic aggression behind her delivery which makes that part of music an incredibly intense listening experience.

The material is generally well written and mix old school blues based doom metal riffs with aggressive sludge and the occasional nod towards more groove based hardcore. It´s not their most original sounding release but it´s obvious they´ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the creation of the music, and the delivery is both passionate and tight (yet organic). As always when dealing with Agoraphobic Nosebleed the material is drenched in a sick, depraved, and filthy atmosphere. It´s like passing a really gory traffic accident where you are not sure if you should look away or let the curiosity get the better of you (and then afterwards wish you didn´t). The dark and gloomy atmosphere fits the lyrics well too, as "Arc" is a concept release about dealing with a schizophrenic mother. I don´t know if it the lyrics are based on Kat´s own experiences, but there is a chilling sincerity behind her screaming vocals that could suggest just that. The lyric line "Stop! Stop hurting me! Why are you doing this to me?" from "Not A Daughter" makes my hair stand on end. It´s creepy in a very unpleasant way, because it feels so real.

The sound production is organic, thick, and heavy. A very powerful and effectful production. Agoraphobic Nosebleed has never featured a real drummer and instead the drums are programmed by guitarist Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer), but I´d be damned if you´d ever notice that if you didn´t know it before hand. Hull is not only a skilled composer, guitarist, and producer, but his programming skills are also considerable. In other words...the programmed drums sound great.

Honestly I didn´t find "Arc" that special on my initial listen, but with repeated listens and discovering the lyrical concept it´s grown on me considerably and to my ears it´s a really interesting release which brings the right balance between gloomy darkness and brick heavy riffing and beats. The tormented aggressive vocals are the icing on the cake. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.