On August 18, Coming Out will mark its arrival, the debut album from one-man project UKĆ. Founded by Łukasz “Icanraz” Sarnacki, who is known for his work with Corruption, Christ Agony, Darzamat, among others, UKĆ offers a take on atmospheric metal that features plenty of twists and turns, a style that stands out quite definitively. Today, Nine Circles is excited to premiere the video for “Fading Away”, which you can check out immediately below.

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For a little bit of background on what is a quite a distinct project, UKĆ was formed in Białystok, Poland in 2017. It’s a solo project completely, as Łukasz performs everything — vocals, guitars, bass, keyboard, drums. You get the idea. Despite dating back a few years, the first official release came last November in the form of the EP “Przemijanie”, with the Polish version of this album arriving back in April.

Now, we have the latest single and video released in support of the English version of Coming Out. And there’s certainly a lot to unpack with this sampling. I suppose you could qualify this as something that falls in the atmospheric black metal spectrum stylistically, but what’s happening on “Fading Away” (and on Coming Out in general, as you’ll come to find) is more complicated than that. Categorizing this so generally simply doesn’t work. The deliberation of the opening percussive cadence, leaping forward to the shouted lyrics and furious blasts and leads is effortless, with those prominent, intoxicating keys adding the final layer to a sound that is as dynamic as it is intense. As the interlude midway through moves toward cleaner vocals and, yes, a more atmospheric energy, “Fading Away” becomes a deeply captivating listen. And the story told between the lyrics and black and white animation is a powerful one…

Importantly, Icanraz offered this sentiment about the track:

“The direct impulse to write this piece was events happening very close to my place of residence, i.e. the story of refugees from the Middle East detained on the Polish-Belarusian border. It’s still going on, but no one talks about it anymore, because the topic has grown old and is no longer media relevant. The text tells the story of a 6-year-old boy who, after losing his entire family, escapes to Europe on his own in search of a better life. The song touches on symbolic and social issues and emphasises how easily we succumb to insensitivity related to problems that do not concern us.”

The message is heavy, and it’s emotive. And the entire production, visually and musically, seems to resonate more with each repeated listen as new details and elements emerge. On a number of fronts, I find this hard to put down or turn away from.

To wrap everything up, a quick reminder that Coming Out will be independently released on August 18, and a video for the previously released “Uncertainty” can be found here. Having had the opportunity to hear the album in full, I assure you it’s one that should stay on your radar, and the Polish version of the album can be ordered here. Give UKĆ a follow on Facebook to stay up to date on future happenings.