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URN®

Orlando, Florida, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2000 | INDIE

Orlando, Florida, United States | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2000
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"Urn “Cast In Amber” Video Premiere (Exclusive)"

We’ve teamed up with Orlando, FL dark metal band Urn to bring you the exclusive music video premiere for “Cast In Amber”, which comes from their upcoming album Epiphany (out August 25th).

The band describes the video as a…

…somber depiction in a first-person narrative of a soul that has passed on and his faint hope that he made some kind of impression on those whom he left behind.

The band state that their sound is influenced by bands such as Paradise Lost, Opeth, Nightwish, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and the like. You can watch this exclusive premiere below. - Bloody Disgusting


"URN Returns from Ashes"

After several years out of the spotlight, dark metal band URN is back with their third full-length album Epiphany. Their first effort since Scribings of a Forgotten Soul in 2009 and first produced by Dark Moon Records, the album shows the band’s evolution over their 20-year existence.

The brainchild that would come to be Epiphany started its creation in 2011 after the band took some time off to focus on their personal lives, family, and “to gain a fresh perspective” following heavy touring to promote Scribings. The extreme life changes the members went through in that time period provided easy inspiration for the album’s name. “It summed up a great deal of what many of us on an individual level had come to learn about ourselves,” said Founder and Frontman Dominic St. Charles.

These life changes and emotions are heavily reflected in Epiphany. From the haunting “Empty Promises,” which touches on loss, to the self-titled track that delves into the hardships of finding yourself, there is something for any fan to relate to. The album’s first single, “Cast in Amber” represents some of the depression the band has faced over the years and triumphed. A sequel to “Etched in Stone” from their 2006 album Dancing with the Demigods, the song is written in the form of a suicide letter.

‘The true message of what we are trying to convey is no matter how bad life can seem, there is no difficulty too great that it cannot be lessened and that life itself is a beautiful gift meant to be cherished and shared,” said St. Charles. The debut video, he said, portrays the sentiment that once someone has left his loved ones behind he hopes that they will one day forgive him and think better of him than he obviously thought of himself.

The album is an emotional one for the band, who lost an integral part of the group earlier this year. Great friend and fill-in bassist Scott Clendenin passed in March after health complications. Formerly of the pioneering death metal band Death, Clendenin had a lot of input in the band’s catalog. “It calls to light not to take people for granted, you never really know how much time you have with someone,” said St. Charles.

URN lends a lot of their success to their versatility, which has captivated audiences across multiple genres. Epiphany focuses on the more Celtic/folk side of the band, which has drawn rave reviews from fans in the past. The album integrates a heavy use of non-traditional rock instruments such as the violin and harp as a departure from the use of keyboards. The group still believes in a symphonic approach, but St. Charles said that “this migration stylistically we felt was a natural progression for us.”

The band is currently working on booking a tour to promote Epiphany. Though they have been “blessed” to tour with some of their heroes in the past, they have their eye on Paradise Lost and Cradle of Filth to share the stage with.

In Memory of Scott Clendenin (January 17, 1968 – March 24, 2015) - Fifteen Minute Media


"Album Review ~ URN ~ Epiphany"

I will have to admit that when I cracked open the plastic on my copy of Epiphany from the band URN that I was a newbie to the world of the band and was just beginning to learn about them. With that being said, I had no preconceived notions as to what this CD was supposed to sound like and I was hoping for the best when I put my headphones on and went to push play. I can safely say that I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard over the course of almost an hour.

The band has a unique way of blending symphonic metal with Celtic/folk influences. It was like Riverdance and Trans Siberian Orchestra had a baby and named it Urn. The album opens with “Autumnal Sunrise” and you’re immediately taken by the unique blend of styles and the instrumentation. It’s followed by “Cast in Amber” which is also the first single and video released from the album. Founder and lead vocalist Dominic St. Charles has a voice that is so distinct and you almost think of him as a storyteller rather than a singer in a symphonic metal band. He definitely has a way of taking you on a journey with his vocal delivery.

The riffs tend to pick up a bit in the next song “Black Widow” which has a killer riff driving the song from beginning to end. You’re also graced with some tasty solos in this one as well which helped this track really stand out to me. I swear the riff almost has an Alice in Chains feel to it as I listen to it for the fifth time. “My Chosen Path” starts slowly and peacefully before pushing down on the pedal and quickly taking off. The song even features some death vocals mixed in from bassist Julian Umberger, which add another layer to an already solid song. I felt as if the song “The Road to St. Patrick’s” was a bit out of place as it sounded more folky and lacked the metal thrust that many of these other songs did have. On a more positive note, the hard driving title track was one of the more solid tracks on the album and definitely another stand-out to us.

Overall, this album took me on a musical ride that kept my attention from beginning to end and was quite entertaining. Dominic St. Charles definitely has a voice that’s unique and compelling, plus he also plays guitar and the keyboard. He’s joined on guitar by Christopher Migdalski and, although I am not sure to credit which riffs to, the two of them deliver some intense and intriguing riffs throughout the release. The rhythm section of Liam Hamning on drums and Julian Umberger on bass are a solid team who laid the foundation for these songs to be built on. As I said at the beginning, it is a unique blend of symphonic metal with Celtic/folk music that may just hook you in if you give it an honest chance. The riffs will have to breaking out your air guitars while the Celtic influences may even have you wanting to dance a bit. - I'm Music Magazine


"Singled Out: URN's Cast in Amber"

Today URN guitarist and lead vocalist Dominic St. Charles tells us about the song "Cast in Amber" from their brand new album "Epiphany", which is set for release on August 25th. Here is the story:
Our song "Cast in Amber" is actually a sequel to a song that we released on our second album called "Etched in Stone". I should preface that "Etched in Stone" has an interesting back-story in and of itself, as I originally wrote that song with a gothic rock band I was in during college, prior to URN, called Sacrosanct. Michelle Belanger, who most people would know from being the blind-folded psychic on the reality show Paranormal State and has come into great success as a writer, was my singer in that band and it ended up becoming a fairly popular song for us in the circuits that we played back in those days.

Regrettably, Sacrosanct would never record any material as, well, we were in college and we placed our priorities on actually graduating. (Yeah, we were nerds.) My grandmother had passed away from cancer around that time and that was the primary muse of my writing that song. She was very special to me and most of the music I write is a catharsis from some darker or negative emotion that I'm experiencing at that time and am trying to purge it.

I would eventually release that song ten years later once URN had established ourselves and I brought Michelle into the studio to do guest vocals and we both felt a sense of closure and accomplishment. I adjusted the lyrics so that it focused more on the loss of a loved one in general, leaving a stark emptiness in a person having to move forward.

Now, "Cast in Amber" takes on the opposite perspective, giving an even more somber focus. It is from the perspective of the person that has passed on and is retrospectively looking back in hope that the impression they left for their loved ones is a positive one.

So one would ask, "how can you write from a dead person's perspective?" The obvious answer is that you can't.

I, like millions of people who were living in America at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, had gone through a great deal of loss in both my personal and professional life. It catapulted me into a massive despair and I spiraled to view my existence as one colossal punch line.

This was all in my head of course, as my life at that time wasn't good by any means, but it was worth living. Nonetheless, I had considered suicide at one point and "Cast in Amber" would be in a way, not so much a suicide letter, but the words I would express if I did actually end my existence.

The song really was built around the melody in the interlude, which derived from a vocal exercise that I came up with when I was taking classical voice lessons at Columbia College in Chicago. In the initial version, I sang the part a cappella (and still do when we perform the song live). However, when we were in studio recording the song, we had our violinist at the time play the part and we felt it just really gave it a whole new dimension.

We felt so strongly about the song, this is why we made it the first single off our new release and filmed the video for it based on the lyrical narrative that song tries to portray. It is our intention that the listener would find solace in a time of despair and to hopefully re-discover the beautiful gift that life is. - AntiMusic


"Interview with Dominic St. Charles"

Senior journalist Anabel DFlux chatted with Dominic St. Charles, of the band URN, about their brand new album Epiphany (their first studio album in nearly six years!), their tour adventures, and what fans can expect next!

Hardrock Haven: Hi there! Thank you so much for talking with me today. I hear you have a new album that has been newly released. Can you tell me about it? Why did you name the album “Epiphany”?

Dominic St. Charles: Thank you so much as well! Epiphany is our fifth release overall, and our first studio album in almost six years.

URN® has always been a catharsis for a lot of the negative emotions that most of us in the band were dealing with, and the main reason we called this album “Epiphany” it sums up a great deal of what we learned on an individual level about ourselves, the people in our lives, and the world around us.

Hardrock Haven: How were the lyrics written?

Dominic St. Charles: The music is direct manifestation of us processing our lives and how it affects us in many ways. So in a natural progression, the lyrics are predominantly a first-person narrative in a response to the life stimuli and how we act or re-act to these changes in life.

Hardrock Haven: What type of recording process did you use for this new album? What was recording like?

Dominic St. Charles: This album we took a completely different approach all together as opposed to our previous albums. Since the majority of the band immigrated to Florida from Chicago, we flew our producer, Dan Precision down and we had secured an Orlando studio that on the first day ended up having some unforeseen complications.

As a result, we had to seek another venue and improvised quite a bit, but Dan did a phenomenal job getting the best out of us and making a fantastic album despite some challenges that were not typical, but it added to the overall experience making the album.

Hardrock Haven: How do you hope fans interpret the music?

Dominic St. Charles: Our hope would be that our fans could listen to our music and take away from it some type of emotional response that will help them heal in a negative life situation or maybe enjoy a more happier life experience. As we said, it’s an emotional release for us; we hope our fans gain the same experiencing our music.

Hardrock Haven: Who conceptualized the “Cast in Amber” video, and how did you enjoy the filming process? I love the visuals!

Dominic St. Charles: Thank you so kindly! I came up with the overall concept for the video and worked well with Noel of Global Rapture Productions to make the story come to life in a visual setting if you will.

The filming process was quite a memorable one as we got up at five in the morning to catch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean setting.

We were using an abandoned dock at a boathouse down in Florida and during the main day of filming, not one, but three dolphins swam over, as they must have heard the music through the PA system while we were filming the band sequences.

This of course, drew unwanted attention to us, so the local police came over after someone called in and we were asked to leave the area, as the paperwork wasn’t completely valid to film there. We were left off with a warning and weren’t prosecuted for trespassing thank goodness.

Hardrock Haven: What image do you think your music conveys?

Dominic St. Charles: We’ve always been a band that somehow has defied categorization. Not that we intentionally try to do that, but we do what comes naturally and that has lead to us not fitting in with any particular genre.

In the beginning, we felt that maybe we could get away with saying, “we could be this _____ genre”, then the majority of the bands and fans in said respective genres would be like “Mmm. Not so much.”

So over fifteen years we’ve grown accustomed and comfortable not belonging to any specific genre.

Our music depending on what type of song we’re doing will convey different images.

We received a great deal of positive feedback from our fans on the our more Celtic/folk side of the band, so with this album we explored that by integrating heavy use of non-traditional rock instruments such as violin and thirty-six string harp to really help enhance the sound rather than the use of keyboards. We still like to believe that we have a symphonic approach to our music, but this migration stylistically we felt was a natural progression for us.

Hardrock Haven: Describe your show, visually and musically. What do fans expect coming to an Urn concert?

Dominic St. Charles: We’ve been an extremely blessed band over our fifteen-year career and at this point we’ve played over 1,200 shows since 2000. The characteristics of a live URN show that we pride ourselves on is the high energy that we give with the passion in our performance and the interaction with the fans in attendance as we want to truly feel that they experienced us live.

We place a great deal of attention in our stage costuming, and stage scenery to give the fans that strong experience of a concert and know that they came to see a live band and our deep gratitude that they chose to spend their valuable time supporting us for that evening.

We also do variations of our songs live so that the fan can know that they are getting their value as opposed to hearing the same arrangement on the album, which they can listen to at home.

Hardrock Haven: What has been your favorite tour thus far?

Dominic St. Charles: It’s very hard to pick as each tour we’ve been on has it’s own cherished memories, but in 2007 we went on an extensive North American tour with To/Die/For from Finland and Virgin Black from Australia. Despite that tour had far too many ridiculous complications, it was an amazing life experience for all of us involved and it helped us reach that next level in our careers.

Hardrock Haven: What are some of your pet peeves in music?

Dominic St. Charles: Unprofessionalism. Whether it is other bands only showing up for their slot, to promoters who don’t honor their deals, and so on. It’s the music industry and you’re going to have your more than fair share of that, but it is sad trend that a vast majority of people these days no longer do what they say.

Hardrock Haven: Any unique fan experiences or tour stories?

Dominic St. Charles: One of our all-time favorites was in 2009 we were held up in Immigration trying to cross into Canada for a two-week tour and although we got our paperwork issue resolved, there was a family that wanted to get a “commemorative spoon” for the wife/mother’s collection. They didn’t have any valid ID’s except for the husband/father’s gun permits and had no clue as to why the weren’t being allowed into Canada and furthermore why they will have issues getting back into the United States.

They facial expression on these poor border patrol folks was priceless not to mention the whole place was on the floor laughing while this man made a federal case over the whole ordeal wondering why he needed his ID’s in the first place.

Hardrock Haven: Any final words for your fans?

Dominic St. Charles: Yes, thank you so much for the amazing support and patience with us over these years it took us to get Epiphany out. We hope that you will enjoy this album as much as we had making for you.

Connect with URN here:
https://www.facebook.com/urnband - Hard Rock Haven


"URN Interview"

The back ground of you all is quite varied and you have all been part of some great acts, can you tell us a little history about yourselves?
We’ve been an extremely blessed band over our fifteen-year career and at this point we’ve played over 1,200 shows since 2000. In that time frame we’ve been able to share the stage and tour experiences with some of our heroes and icons ranging from The Dayglo Abortions to Type O Negative.

Are there any parts of you that tend to manifest itself in URN?
URN has always been a catharsis for a lot of the negative emotions that most of us in the band were dealing with, and the main reason we called this album “Epiphany” it sums up a great deal of what we learned on an individual level about ourselves, the people in our lives, and the world around us.

The music is direct manifestation of us processing our lives and how it affects us in many ways. So in a natural progression, the lyrics are predominantly a first-person narrative in a response to the life stimuli and how we act or re-act to these changes in life.

Your music attracts fans of different genres, how do you manage to encapsulate this attraction in your music?
I think it has a lot to do with that we all come from different backgrounds, but still somewhat similar. Honestly, it is simply we write music that we feel is indigenous to who we are as individuals and that natural authenticity comes out in the music.

Our hope would be that our fans could listen to our music and take away from it some type of emotional response that will help them heal in a negative life situation or maybe enjoy a happier life experience. As we said, it’s an emotional release for us; we hope our fans gain the same experiencing our music.

How did you come to collaborate with Michelle Belanger?
Dominic and Michelle went to college together and became very good friends over their course of time there. In the later part of their college career, they formed a gothic-rock band called Sacrosanct in which Michelle was the singer.

This incarnation of URN is a hybrid between that band and when URN was more of a straight death metal band in the Cleveland area at that time.

And what was the outcome of your collaboration with Michelle?
We had many wonderful experiences with Michelle. In 2003, when we released our first major release “Desecrated Ashes”, Dominic invited Michelle to do guest vocals on song they did with Sacrosanct entitled “Angels Are Weeping”.

Michelle had just released her “Psychic Vampyre Codex” book at the time and we both engaged in joint-venture tour that lasted almost two months where we did book signings in the afternoon, and then performed shows later that same evening.

We would have her back form more guest vocals on our “Dancing with the Demigods” album a couple years later and she would join us live for a couple of major festivals. Both of us expressed a hope to collaborate again in the future but schedules have been hectic and there is no definitive time frame for now.

What was it like working with the legendary Scott Clendenin and how did his passing affect you all emotionally and musically?
Scott and URN guitarist Christopher Migdalski had been close friends for almost twenty years both being veterans of the Florida metal scene. We were extremely honored when he offered to fill in for us on bass for several regional shows that Julian Umberger (URN bassist) wasn’t able to do due to family obligations.

Scott brought a mentorship to us, very much the older brother, and we benefitted from his input a great deal. What most people didn’t realize he was also an accomplished guitarist and drummer as well so he had a differing perspective on our music and it was refreshing.

His health was already in bad state when he came to us, and it did limit him as to what he could do as we all agreed that his priority was to do the things he needed to do to stay healthy. So, when we learned that he passed away due to these complications, we were taken back a bit as he was really fighting the fight and had a great attitude about it all. So, we all felt very sad as we lost a friend and your heart broke as he had an inspiring attitude not to let things get the better of him.

What do you feel is Scott’s legacy?
Scott’s body of work speaks all on its own. We do not feel it’s really for us to say what his legacy will be as his many fans across his career will make that testament to what he brought to the music world. All that we will say is, it was true honor to work with one of our iconic heroes and it made us feel proud of what we’ve accomplished as a band that he was willing to join us.

Does Epiphany contain any elements of Scott?
Regrettably due to Scott’s declining health issues he was never able to have a real opportunity to make a viable contribution to “Epiphany”, so although there are no real elements of Scott in the recording we do feel that his spirit is watching over us as we move forward.

You did an acoustic performance at Tir Na Nog on 17th September, how do you plan an acoustic set as compares a normal gig. And what are your likes and dislikes about playing acoustically?
We really love exploring our acoustic shows and we approach them with the same determination and vigor as we do our electric shows. It gives us the ability to play with different instrumentalists, such as Ena Engerbretsen, a very versatile woodwind player and we can give a new incarnation to some of our more popular songs that makes it take on a whole new life as well as playing songs that you wouldn’t hear us do in an electric URN show.

Have you ever learned anything along your musical journey, a lesson or experience which was connected to music but taught you something not connected with an instrument or music creation?
There have been many life experiences and lessons that we’ve learned on this long journey. We literally could spend all day discussing it as again, we’ve been a band for a decade and a half now.

Dominic has a life motto that best summarizes it all “Above all else, just be a good friend.” We’ve certainly learned a great deal about ourselves and playing music allows us grow in a healthy fashion.

There are times in life when we fight for something we believe in, have you ever fought for something you believe in and if so what did you fight for?
We do it all the time. Everyday. A couple of us have to overcome health issues just to function on a day-to-day basis, and we do it as we have major unconditional love and support from our families that allow us to continue this blessed dream of music.

We believe in ourselves, in our talent and in our music. Like many artists, there has been the great deal of naysayers over the years. Not to say that we’ve been stubborn, as we’ve listened to counsel of others who are legitimate in wanting to try and help us improve. However, we have known when to just ignore the “haters” and “trolls” on the internet as their opinions mean absolutely nothing. Vast majority of these people have no real credentials or anything to validate their comments, it is just that, an opinion. They’re more than free to voice it all they want, but we hope for their sake they realize that no one is listening to them.

What made you relocate to Orlando?
In Dominic’s case it was mostly for family reasons. He felt Chicago didn’t have anything left to offer him in a personal and professional sense. URN although was a band that was based in Chicago for a good number of years, it was never really a local band to Chicago, as previously mentioned, the band actually started in Cleveland. Since we toured outside of Chicago so much, it didn’t seem as if Chicago considered us local either, so there were no emotional attachments or loyalties.

Through Christopher Migdalski being native to Florida we made many new friends in Florida once we arrived and have felt far more at home here.

Dominic, I notice you enjoy ren fairies. What are ren fairies and why do you enjoy them so much?
Most the members of URN enjoy Renaissance Faires as they are a fun of spending time together with family and friends and escaping to a fantasy world rooted in a historical time to escape the troubles of day-to-day life for a while.

It is a great enjoyment to perform musically at them as well as it gives us an opportunity to enjoy music in a different fashion.

XBOX or Playstation?
PS4

Thank you so much for giving Vampire Freaks this interview, is there anything you would like to add?
Yes, thank you so much for the amazing support and patience with us over these years it took us to get “Epiphany” out. We hope that you will enjoy this album as much as we had making for you. - Vampire Freaks


"URN - Epiphany (album review)"

Urn maakt een geslaagde mix tussen celtic/folk en progressieve rock/metal. De plaat start lekker voortvarend met het springerige, feestelijke Autumnal Sunrise. Dat niveau wordt voortgezet in de ballad (met een harder einde) Cast In Amber en de statige start van Black Widow, dat in deel twee omslaat in een deathmetalanthem. Wel komt dan langzaam naar voren waar het soms nog net een beetje aan schort bij Urn. De zang wil soms net iets te veel. Dat hoorde je al op Cast In Amber, maar het wordt nog duidelijker in Thyself Be True. Soms klinkt het zangtechnisch op die twee nummers net te dun en ontbreekt de kracht om de goede noot te vinden. In opzwepende nummers zoals When The Rain Has Fallen of het veelzijdige My Chosen Path, waarin progressieve statige rock en death metal elkaar ontmoeten, is daar echter geen sprake van.

Gelukkig weet de band dat ook, waardoor Epiphany vooral gevuld is met dansbare en snellere nummers, zoals Brisk Snowfall, The Road To St Patrick’s en Silently I’m Still Screaming (waarin het progressieve begin wordt overgenomen door de celticrockinvloeden). Epiphany is op dat hele kleine smetje na gewoon een prima (progressieve) rock-/folkplaat. - Rock Portal


"URN Interview August 2015"

Yea, yea, I know, this really isn't electronic underground music or industrial related at all. But, hell, I like to sometimes dive into other genres when I find myself curious enough. Anyway, Urn is a gothic/folk metal group based in Orlando, Florida of the United States. With their upcoming album "Epiphany" on the horizon, I talked to guitarist and lead singer Dominic regarding the album, their signing to Dark Moon Records, and their future plans.

You guys have been around since 2000 and I can only imagine it's been a journey. With your next album due out in August, have you noticed a change in style or improvements in the way you write/sing music as URN?

Dominic - "I’ve always felt that a band that’s worth its weight will typically see some form of improvement or progression from one album to the next. This recent album had a little more collaboration with its development, something that I was hoping for for quite a long time."

The last major release you guys have had was "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul" in 2009. It's been about 6 years since then, and now you're unveiling "Epiphany". Were you working on the album throughout that entire period or was there a bit of a break?

Dominic - "We toured extensively for two years for 'Scribings' so we really in earnest didn’t begin to work on 'Epiphany' until about 2011. However, around that time we elected to focus on other aspects of our lives and our families. I myself left Chicago for Florida later in 2011 to be with my family more. We did some touring in 2012 and decided to take a little bit of break the following year."

What really influenced the music and lyrics on "Epiphany"? Was it another band or musician, or personal interests or relief that brought the album to life?

Dominic - "As the title would suggest, it was an intense exploration of self-discovery and self-realization. On an individual, personal level I was transformed dramatically as a person and a great deal of this album’s lyrical content were my emotions dealing with the vigorous changes that came with that process. A reflection on lessons learned if you will."

What can fans expect to see on the album? How many tracks, the length of it all, any cover songs or collaborations, etc.? What should they be looking forward to?

Dominic - "We have eleven songs on this album and they are all original. In fifteen years, this band hasn’t done a cover song and most likely will not be doing one in the near future. What URN fans can look forward to is that we heard their voices and we delved more into our Celtic side of the band as we incorporated more non-traditional rock instruments such as violin and 36-string lever harp which really helped enhance the arrangements on many of the songs."

How was writing the album altogether? Was it a surreal experience or did it have more downturns than upturns at some points?

Dominic - "Our albums in the past, I did the majority of the writing, but with this album we did try to make it more of a collaborative effort. Each of us come from similar, but different backgrounds and we also came from different ways of how we go about songwriting. As a result, there were periods where we struggled with the new process. I’d say that Liam and Chris work a little better together, but in the end we all seem to have learned each other better that moving forward we’ll be more harmonious."

Obviously, I'm sure you guys have listened to your own material a million times over by now. What do you personally think of the album yourselves? Are you proud of what you were able to accomplish?

Dominic - "I honestly feel it is our greatest work to date. I’ve been proud of each of the albums in the past, but this one in particular I have a certain type of pride that I’ve not felt with the previous releases. This is in part that we did take a much different approach to the overall process of the album’s creation."

Now, you've also signed to Dark Moon Records. How did that occur? Did the label approach you or did they approach you?

Dominic - "Corvis Nocturnum of Dark Moon Productions who wanted to expand his multi-media operations into the music industry approached us. Fortunately for us, he has been a long-time friend and fan of URN and he was really wishing for another URN album and put a great deal of effort into making this all a reality."

And how has it been being attached to the label? Have they been very supportive of you so far?

Dominic - "The support that they have shown is immense. Albeit, there have been some financial struggles which almost anyone in this time and this world has been encountering, but the cold truth is, if it wasn’t for Dark Moon coming and expressing their support to the extents that they have, URN probably never records this album or ever again for that matter."

And what's next for URN? Are you planning any tours or live shows? An EP or two down the line somewhere?

Dominic - "We have been honored to have partnered up with Bloody Disgusting to have world premiered our promotional video for 'Cast in Amber' the first single off of the new album. So we launched that last month and have already seen incredible feedback. We have a regional tour coming up in September and we have already filmed another video for the title track of this album. As far as another recording in the future, we certainly feel that we would like to, but let’s see where 'Epiphany' takes us."

Is there anything I may have failed to mention that you wish to discuss at this moment?

Dominic - "We are working on a re-launch of our flagship website www.urncentral.com. It will be a complete overhaul from the previous version and will be more interactive as well."

Lastly, I thank you for this interview and wish you much luck.

Dominic - "It is we who thank you for giving us this opportunity to share a bit of ourselves with your readers. We deeply appreciate all that you do for the music community and the support that you’ve shown to us!" - Brutal Resonance


"URN: Epiphany Review"

There’s something of a riot about this album -it’s all beer drinking, pub stomping and bar bleeding. It scream every stereotype that Rockers have to offer. It is pure anarchistic indulgence. After all, this is Urn with their newest monster, ‘Epiphany‘.

The songs on this, 11 track, album range from classic Rock inspired overtures, to guitar grinding chaos that threatens to sack the neighbourhood. Songs like ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Brisk Snowfall’ are harbingers of classic ’70’s Rock. It’s Danzig meets the 1980’s setting fire to Steel Panther’s trousers and looting Florida. It’s pure Rocking bliss.

Overall ‘Epiphany‘ is a brilliant Rock album that will keep y0u quaffing for weeks to come. - 925 Rebellion


"URN Interview February 2014"

What is the name of your band? URN (the United States gothic/metal band)
How was the band formed? Dominic had finished his touring obligations with The Electric Hellfire Club and formed the band with some of his students
What made you form the band? A need to find a more constructive cathartic way of dealing with negative emotions.
Where are all bandmembers from?/Who does what in the band?
Dominic St. Charles - lead male vocals/guitars
Julian Umberger - bass and backing vocals
Christopher Migdalski - 8-string guitars
Liam Hamning - drums and percussion
April Montallan - keyboards, female vocals
Dominic, Christopher and April are in Florida, Liam and Julian are in Chicago
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? Primarily it was to just have a fun writing original material and touring as much as we could. We are a band that really thrives upon playing live and touring.
Where was your first gig? Cleveland, OH
Where was the latest gig? New Orleans, LA
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics?What are your songs about? Up to this point, Dominic has been the primary songwriter/lyricist in the band, but with the upcoming album it is being more of a collaborative process with all the current members. Our songs have different muses, but common themes are pensive introspection, overcoming inner demons, seeking absolution for transgressions
Who has the best since of humor in the band? Liam the drummer seems to be the practical joker of the group.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We're strictly all original. In 14 years of being a band, we've never performed a cover.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?
Yes, we have 4 releases, 3 which are available in many major outlets such as (iTunes, Napster, FYE and so on):
Consecrated Ashes (2002)
Desecrated Ashes (2003)
Dancing with the Demigods (2006)
Scribings of a Forgotten Soul (2009)
We intend to have our new album "Epiphany" out in 2014.
Do you have any clips on YouTube?
Yes, we have three videos that can be viewed on YouTube at this time:
Cast in Amber: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woQU1dIYObY
Reckoning Hour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeaD17xmDik
Shadow Dancer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yfp1qXe9vY
What got you started in music?/At what age did you start playing? I had a friends who had and older brother that played guitar and once I tried it I was never the same, I believe I was around 12 years old at the time.
What year was the band started? Officially in 1994
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? We'll be doing a tour in Florida and then in the spring of next year, we look to return to Central America (Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, etc.)
Is it always the same set's live?/What songs are in your live set's? We usually have done a variety of different songs in different shows, but some of the "staples" that we try to perform are "Liar in Waiting", "Reckoning Hour", and "House of Glass".
Have you had any bigger tours from start till now? Yes, we've been blessed to tour with some great artists such as To/Die/For, Virgin Black and Tarja (formerly of Nightwish) to name a few.
How big crowds do you usually play for? It varies depending on the day and venue, but we've averaged between 50-400 people
How do you get psyched up for a gig? We usually tend to do more of warm-ups both vocally and on our instruments. It also helps us keep our nerves in check just before etching the stage
What are your goals with your music? I feel that we can safely say at this point in our career, we've successfully achieved a great many of our career goals, so our main focus is to write our best album to date yet and continue to perform live to all of our fans in the world that are happy to share their time with us.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? I believe we decided to go "all in" about 14 years ago when we finalized this incarnation of URN.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Hard to say, our influences have been around for a long time so they were "modern" to us at the time. Major influences on this band were artists such as Paradise Lost, Type O Negative, and Amorphis
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I personally enjoy traditional celtic music and some bluegrass from time to time. I used to really be into big band or swing jazz, but really haven't been albe to listen to it as much as I used to.
Have you been in any other bands? I currently play 8-string guitar in Diabolic Intent, I also played bass and guitar in The Electric Hellfire Club many years ago.
How important are your fans? They are the most critical and essential aspect of what we do. If it wasn't for their unconditional love and ongoing support this band would surely cease to be
Do you have any webpages?
www.facebook.com/urncentral
www.numberonemusic.com/urn
www.twitter.com/urncentral
www.myspace.com/urn
www.reverbnation.com/urncentral
Describe your show, visually and musically We put a great deal into our live show, we do rehearse extensively almost in the form of a "boot camp" where we spend exhaustive hours making sure that not only are the songs the best we can in terms of the musical performance, but also as to how we will also perform them live on stage. We do put an emphasis on our stage costuming, as well as lighting and stage scenery to let the fans know that they came to an event that they can hopefully remember for years to come.
How do you view the music indusrty of today?
It is extremely different world from where we started out almost a decade and a half ago. Back then, most people didn't have cell phones, much less smart phones, the vast majority didn't have e-mail accounts as most didn't have computers, so more and more people were willing to go out to shows so they could get the band's album on CD and that was the true mark of how successful a band was, how many albums you sold.
Nowadays, it appears that many will tell you that industry is "broken" and no one really has any solution to fix it. Many people these days have gotten accustomed to digital downloads and from the consumer standpoint, it's an amazing revolution. Tragically though, there are hundreds of thousands of people who illegally download songs and it leaves the bands completely bereft of financial income that would allow them to further their careers even more. As time moves on even younger generations don't even view this as stealing as they have come to view that is the "common practice" of the music consumer.
It has allowed a lot of bands to gain access of getting their music to thousands who a decade or so ago could not have the means to do so, but this also has allowed for a major reduction in quality both in terms of songwriting and production. As a result, with each passing year, at least in the United States, crowds have continually gotten smaller and smaller as more people would rather stay home and listen on the computer rather than go and interact with the artist at a live performance.
I'm not saying that this is even wrong, I'm just saying that it is what it is. We still perform as it is our passion and we focus on the people who do come out as we are extremely grateful that they chose to give us their time to support us in our musical endeavors, Whether it's 20, 200 or 2,000 people we give the same show regardless and we've been blessed that we've played almost 1,200 shows in our career and have been able to perform live to thousands of people across the countries. - Lundgren Music Blog


"Chain DLK"

You can detect several things going on in Urn's layered industrial goth rock as presented on the CD "Desecrated Ashes". Mid-tempo guitar grooves provide a pulse while keyboards add to the layering. The percussion joins the rhythm nicely and the vocals bring in even more dynamics with the male/female switch-up. A nice gothy mood permeates the music, and it is enhanced by a strong sense of theatricality. In addition to the subdued goth metal tone, you can sense a certain folkiness (like unto what you might encounter in some power metal acts, though it's the mood, not the music, that is common to urn and aforementioned power players). Atmosphere seems to be the name of the game as the guitars provide the heaviness and the keyboards supply the ambience, with the drums even going a little ethno from time to time. The two vocalists compliment each other fairly well. Ultimately you get the sense of listening to a rock fantasy opera (which is likely the point). The main complaint I would offer is a certain flatness to the sound. One wishes for more lushness in a style like this. However, all told, if you like the Lacuna Coil approach to metal, Urn is a band to check out.

Review by: Kristofer Upjohn
- n/a


"Blabbermouth.net - June 2009"

American gothic/doom metallers URN have completed work on their third album, "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul", for a July 21 release via Rotting Corpse Records. The artwork was created by Corvis Nocturnum, who runs The Ninth Gate magazine, and the layout was designed by Connie Bergmann of DarkWind Studios.

"Scribings of a Forgotten Soul" was once again mixed and mastered by Dan Precision at Bombshelter Studios (RISE AGAINST, NAKED RAYGUN) in Chicago, Illinois and it features a guest appearance by Rev. Thomas Thorn of the ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB on the song "Hero Worship". (URN frontman Dominic St. Charles had played guitar and did backing vocals with the ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB back in late 1999 to 2000 around the "Witness of the Millennium" album and its subsequent touring cycle and the two have remained very close over the years.) Jape Peratalo, formerly of Finland's melancholy rock outfit TO/DIE/FOR, was also scheduled to appear on the album, but with TO/DIE/FOR's recent disbanding, schedules didn't coincide and both sides have mutually agreed to reschedule for him to appear on a future URN release.

"Scribings of a Forgotten Soul" track listing:

01. Absolution
02. Voices of Reason
03. Ambivalence
04. Hero Worship
05. Reckoning Hour
06. In My Mind's Eye
07. Dancing on the Day of the Dead
08. Confessional
09. No Man's Land
10. Repentance
11. Final Kiss Goodnight
12. Solemn in a Prostrate Pose

According to St. Charles, "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul" is a concept album based on a true story of several individuals that were in his life that were directly involved in a prison riot at state correctional facility in a nearby town from where he attended high school. "Think of it as a 'Law & Order' approach to the story we are telling here," he said. "Of course, all of the characters are completely fictitious and do not represent any person living or dead. It was a major event that shook my community at the time and my best friend's father was the night shift supervisor. So a couple of months before it happened he took a group of me and my friends on tour of the prison at 2:30 a.m. (we thought it would be interesting to do). The experience of seeing all that was going on from the inside from many perspectives, the prisoners, the guards, etc., ended up being highly enlightening for me. So when the riot broke out it was hitting very close to home and I had been doing a good bit of writing at the time and decided to chronicle these events. So in essence, that is what this album is about a fictional depiction of this event."

URN recently supported former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen on the "Storm Returns to America" tour alongside THE ETERNAL from Australia.


Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/urn-to-release-scribings-of-a-forgotten-in-july/#IYFVCv6Lykpom51D.99 - Blabbermouth.net


"Explicitly Intense"

Take the best elements of Anathema, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Type O Negative and you've got the gothic metal of Chicago's URN. Dancing with the Demigods is filled with gothic metal, laced with doomy guitar riffs and emotionally sung male and female vocals that'll bring tears of joy and sadness to your eyes.
URN is not an easy listen by any means, as their style of dirge-driven goth metal will take at least several spins to make complete sense of what this quartet is all about. Shadow Dancer comes across as a darkened mixture of My Dying Bride meets early Paradise Lost, minus the growls, which makes the atmospherics of this song stand out even further - it'll make the hairs stand up on your back. And, the video for Shadow Dancer comes across as a musically-inspired trailer for a horror flick. This band has plenty of potential to go far, and only time will tell how much they'll conquer in the world of atmospheric, gothic metal. Check it out and feel the sadness.

Sarjoo Devani - Explicitly Intense - Explicitly Intense


"Pit Magazine"

Drawing inspiration from the vampire culture, Chicago's URN offer up an 11-song journey into the darker regions of hard rock/metal. Something of a hybrid of TYPE O NEGATIVE and AMORPHIS, the core of URN's sound is rather straightforward and hook-heavy riffage, relying on keyboards and non-metal instruments like the flute and piccolo to add an interesting level of texture to the music. Throughout the disc vocals, duties are split between Dominic St. Charles (guitars), Ian Nothing (bass) and Sophia (keys, ect.), with the female tunes standing out as the album's better tracks. Sophia's haunting, siren-like voice gives the tracks "Shadow Dancer" and "Firechild" a chilling, ethereal quality unmatched by those penned by her male counterparts. Other standouts include the morose, folk-inspired "Passover" and the collaboration with occult author Michelle Belanger "Cry Freedom". /Dancing with the Demigods/ offers plenty of good material and is worth checking out.

Ryan Ogle - Pit Magazine


"Dark Realms"

The latest album from the Chicago-based goth rock ensemble URN is a seamless mixture of darkwave, metal and hard rock. The band blends classic styles of old-school goth and heavy metal to create songs that quickly hook the listener with haunting keyboards and crunching power chords that give way to some smoking guitar work. Bassist ian Nothing and drummer Tracy Morrison provide the pulsating rhythm section, while the vocal duties are split between lead guitarist Dominic St. Charles and the sultry female tones of of keyboardist Sophia. Featured guest singer Michelle Belanger lends her beautiful soprano voice and original lyrics to several songs as well. Among the standout tracks, the seductive "Shadow Dancer" and "Fire Child" rise o the top, while "Cry Freedom", with its memorable Latin refrain, is an anthem for all oppressed artistic spirits. If you crave dark-tinged rock music, don your formal goth attire and go Dancing with the Demigods.

Russell Williams - Dark Realms


"Encyclopaedia Metallum"

To this listener, there’s always been something unique and wonder-inducing about the local musical entity known as URN. The embodiment of a much-needed left turn from the bubbling cauldron of third-class black and death metal acts, the group exudes class and real ability the likes of which so few bands could ever muster. They have their craft, and dammit, they do it well, working hard enough to continuously rub elbows with the major leaguers at an absolute leisure. “Desecrated Ashes” set the stage for things to come, two feet deep in the Cleopatra Records scheme of things, while “Dancing with the Demigods” brought forth enough evolution for the group’s collective face to be more noticeable. So can the next album be considered the next logical step in terms of ability, skill, and overall enjoyability?

Definitely.

While I’m one to admit not being a big gothic metal fan in the least, what makes URN stand out from the dread-locked, black-fingernailed musical hordes is a lack of pretentiousness and a down-to-earth feel that envelops rather than pushes away. Simply put, a gothic take on metal that actually WORKS. Who’da thunk it? Such is the new album, “Scribings of a Forgotten Soul”, as it comes bursting from the speakers and the collaboration of scratchy guitar riffs, synthetics with a hint of an 80s persona, and emotively powerful vocals come together in the mature and professional fashion of a band that really knows what they’re doing. Theirs is a craft that, to this listener, can be hard to perfect unless egos are cast aside in favor for letting the music itself speak the louder volumes necessary for due respect to be given. And this comes into play in plentiful doses, from the doomy “Voices of Reason”, the head-strong “Hero Worship” and the darkly epic “Judgment” (with its interesting usage of man-made samples).

So in the end I found URN’s latest work a satisfying release that helps prove their dominance amidst the Chi-town hordes. And it’s this listener’s hope that this is an upward trend to propel them further than anyone could anticipate. - Encyclopaedia Metallum


"Blabbermouth.net - December 2008"

Rev. Thomas Thorn of ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB will make a guest appearance on the new album from the Chicago-based gothic metal band URN entitled "Scribings of a Forgotten Soul". URN frontman Dominic St. Charles played guitar and did backing vocals with the ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB back in late 1999 to 2000 around the "Witness of the Millennium" album and the touring cycle in support of the CD and he and Thorn have remained very close over the years.

The drum tracks for URN's new album were recorded at the Chicago Recording Company with producer/engineer Dan Precision (RISE AGAINST, NAKED RAYGUN). The band is currently working at DarkWind Studios in Chicago with Connie Bergmann, who previously collaborated with the group on URN's critically acclaimed 2006 release "Dancing with the Demigods".

"Scribings of a Forgotten Soul" will be a concept album based on a true story of several individuals that were in St. Charles' life that were directly involved in a prison riot at state correctional facility near the town where he attended high school. "Think of it as a 'Law & Order' approach to the story we are telling here," he explained. "Of course, all of the characters are completely fictitious and do not represent any person living or dead. It was a major event that shook my community at the time and my best friend's father was the night shift supervisor. So a couple of months before it happened, he took a group of me and my friends on tour of the prison at 2:30 a.m. (we thought it would be interesting to do). The experience of seeing all that was going on from the inside from many perspectives, the prisoners, the guards, etc., ended up being highly enlightening for me. So when the riot broke out, it was hitting very close to home and I had been doing a good bit of writing at the time and decided to chronicle these events. So in essence, that is what this album is about a fictional depiction of this event."

"Scribings of a Forgotten Soul" will feature an additional guest appearance by Jape Peratalo of Finland's melancholy rock outfit TO/DIE/FOR. An early 2009 release via Rotting Corpse Records is expected.

URN will take a quick break from the recording process and perform as local support at the CRADLE OF FILTH/SATYRICON show at The Rave in Milwaukee on Saturday, January 24, 2009.


Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/new-urn-album-to-feature-guest-appearance-by-electric-hellfire-club-s-rev-thomas-thorn/#hgqst5DYqKCucX5K.99 - Blabbermouth.net


"URN SIGNS WITH DARK MOON RECORDS; WILL RELEASE NEW ALBUM “EPIPHANY” AUGUST 25, 2015"

The U.S.-based dark metal band URN® has inked a deal with Dark Moon Records, a subsidiary of Dark Moon Productions for their new upcoming album, “Epiphany”, to be released world-wide on Tuesday, August 25th, 2015.

Since 2000, URN® has been on a musical journey exploring the darker aspects of both the conscious mind and the unconscious soul. The band has been captivating audiences across multiple genres and have been establishing themselves as one the more energetic live acts to see. The line-up consists of seasoned veterans formerly of national acts such as The Electric Hellfire Club and Diabolic Intent.

This will be URN’s fifth major release following up their “Consecrated Ashes” EP (2002), “Desecrated Ashes” EP (2003), “Dancing with the Demigods” LP (2006), and “Scribings of a Forgotten Soul” LP (2009).

URN® has drawn comparisons from national trade media to artists such as Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil, Amorphis, Nightwish, My Dying Bride and many similar acts of whom they have shared the stage with over the years and find a certain beauty in darkness.

In addition, the band over the years has collaborated with artists of other mediums such as Michelle Belanger, noted author of the Psychic Vampire Codex and former cast member of A&E’s Paranormal State.

Scott Clendenin, formerly of the pioneering death metal band Death, had been performing with URN® the past two years until his untimely passing this past March due to health complications. The band has dedicated this new album to his memory.

The band has filmed and released a promotional music video for the title track and is currently in talks with a new booking agency for touring plans to support the new release for the fall of 2015 and the majority of 2016.

*******
About URN®

The band originated in 1994 as part of the Cleveland college music scene and relocated to Chicago in 1998 as founder Dominic St. Charles also performed with the Electric Hellfire Club. Urn started touring nationally in 2001 in support of their first self-released EP “Consecrated Ashes”.

The band then followed up and self-released their “Desecrated Ashes” EP in 2003 and received strong airplay support via college and internet radio stations across North America. The band then self-booked several national tours and eventually made their Canadian and Mexican debuts in this timeframe.

In December of 2005, URN signed with Rotting Corpse Records and in July of 2006, released their first full-length LP “Dancing with the Demigods” with major chain-store distribution through Century Media, Synergy Distribution, and Azure Green. The album received rave reviews in trade magazines such as Pit Magazine, Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, Explicitly Intense, New Witch, Dark Realms, and many more.

As a result, URN toured even more extensively throughout North America, highlighted by being the direct support acts for To/Die/For, Virgin Black for full production tours. The band also did support for regional legs of tours with Moonspell, Katatonia, Daylight Dies, Finntroll, and many notable others.

The band also headlined many high-profile conventions/festivals throughout such as Ancient Ways in Chicago, KiNvention North in Toronto, Endless Nights in New Orleans, Radio Active in Detroit, GenCon in Indianapolis, The International Body Art Expo in Columbus, Paganstock in Michigan, Doomsday Metal Fest in Milwaukee and The Long Black Veil in New York.

URN released their second full-length album, “Scribings of a Forgotten Soul” in July 2009, again on Rotting Corpse Records, and the band would continue its relentless approach to international touring and promoting by being direct support acts for artists such Tarja Turunen for full tours as well as being selected for regional tours with artists such as Epica, Leaves Eyes, Ensiferum, Tyr, and The Genitorturers.

In 2011, the band relocated from Chicago, IL to Orlando, FL to seek a new perspective on many facets of life and music and in early 2014 signed with Dark Moon Records and recorded their fourth major release “Epiphany” with a scheduled August 2015 release date.

URN is a band who is always pushing their boundaries and thresholds and look to continue to do so over the coming years by their life commitment to constantly evolve, adapt, and grow on their musical journey. - Fox Force Five News


"URN - Epiphany (review)"

I dug up a little bit of information on the band before doing my initial review. Most of my research results did not give any specific information on the band and I had to go on their Facebook page to get everything I needed. I always want to research the band beforehand to give me a feeling and a vibe from the band itself.

This the third full-length release from the Chicago, Illinois Gothic Metal Band. According to the Metal Archives, their music has been used in specials on a few TV channels like Arts and Entertainment (A&E) as well as the Sci-Fi Channel (Syfy).

I added at the end of this review a link to their music video for the song ‘’Epiphany’’, it’s not a very good video clip but I always like the fact that bands want to do these videos for their release. Unfortunately there is not a lot of airplay for music videos nowadays compared to the early to mid 1990’s with Headbanger’s Ball and Solid Rock here in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

They are categorized as Gothic Metal, but other than ‘’Cast in Amber’’, ‘’My Chosen Path’’ and the single ‘’Epiphany’’, I feel they have a lot of Folk and Celtic influences.

The use of harp, keyboards and violin adds a whole new dimension to the songs and a lot of the songs on this album have those Traditional Irish Music elements in them. I highly enjoyed the fact that I was expecting something along the lines of THE A.X.E. PROJECT, which I reviewed earlier this month and was pleasantly surprised to have something along the lines of Folk Metal with the Celtic elements.

We can compare them to some of the Celtic Metal bands that are actively touring like SUIDAKRA and ELUVEITIE. One song in particular that sounds like the traditional Irish folk and drinking song is ‘’Road to St. Patrick’s’’; the title says it all. This song reminds me of ‘’The Wild Rover’’, a very old Irish song that is sung all over the world on St. Patty’s day. It’s a very powerful song and might be the most intense and emotional song on ‘’Epiphany’’.

Other songs that have these influences are ‘’Autumnal Sunrise’’, ‘’When the Rain Has Fallen’’ and ‘’Brisk Snowfall’’. All these songs have that Irish sounds and are my favorite songs off of the album. This was a breath of fresh air and being a DROPKICK MURPHYS fan, I really enjoyed hearing some more Metal (than Punk obviously) but with those same influences!

Two songs come to mind being really different from all the rest and those are: ‘’Silently I’m Still Screaming’’ and ‘’Black Widow’’. The first song sounds a lot like NEVERMORE off the ‘’Dead Heart in a Dead World’’ album. I could compare easily to ‘’Inside Four Walls’’. The singer lacks the emotion and drive of Warrell Dane but this is really a solid effort. ‘’Black Widow’’ sounds a bit like some good old MOTORHEAD, well the music sounds a lot like them; Hard Rock with a Punk edge. Though on this song, the band experiments with two vocalists with some harsh and clean vocals. This is probably the most straightforward song off of this album.

The other songs on the album don’t have the same energy as the ones I mentioned but they are quite good and they try to use some dual vocals (especially on the single ‘’Epiphany’’). I liked the diversity of the songs and they end the album on a high note with ‘’Empty Promises’’. This is the longest song off of this release. The acoustic guitar solo at the beginning of the song is really nice and this might be the catchiest song on the album. It has really nice backing vocals and those add a lot of texture to this particular song. They let loose on this one and you have a whole bunch of solos and everyone adds their personal touch. A fitting way to end a very good album! I recommend this to everyone that likes Metal with a Traditional Irish Music Vibe. - Metal Temple


Discography

  • Consecrated Ashes EP - June 2002
  • Desecrated Ashes EP - October 2003
  • Primal River Valley Compliation (Latex Records) - September 2005
  • Raw Agression III Compliation (Rotting Corpse Records) - December 2005
  • Dancing with the Demigods LP (Rotting Corpse Records) - July 2006
  • Scribings of a Forgotten Soul (Rotting Corpse Records) - July 2009
  • Epiphany (Dark Moon Records) - August 2015

Photos

Bio

The U.S.-based dark metal band URN® is one on a musical journey exploring the darker aspects of both the conscious mind and the unconscious soul.  The band has been captivating audiences across multiple genres and have been establishing themselves as one the more energetic live acts to see.   The band has drawn comparisons by national trade media to such artists such as Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil, Amorphis, Nightwish, My Dying Bride and other similar acts that tend to find a certain beauty in darkness. 

The band originated in 1994 as part of the Cleveland college music scene and relocated to Chicago in 1998 as founder Dominic St. Charles also performed with the Electric Hellfire Club. Urn started touring nationally in 2001 in support of their first self-released EP “Consecrated Ashes”.

The band then followed up and self-released their “Desecrated Ashes” EP in 2003 and received strong airplay support via college and internet radio stations across North America.  The band then self-booked several national tours and eventually made their Canadian and Mexican debuts in this timeframe.

In December of 2005, URN signed with Rotting Corpse Records and in July of 2006, released their first full-length LP “Dancing with the Demigods” with major chain-store distribution through Century Media, Synergy Distribution and Azure Green.   The album received rave reviews in trade magazines such as Pit Magazine, Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, Explicitly Intense, New Witch, Dark Realms, and many more.

As a result, URN toured even more extensively throughout North America, highlighted by being the direct support acts for To/Die/For, Virgin Black for full production tours.  The band also did support for regional legs of tours with Moonspell, Katatonia, Daylight Dies, and Finntroll, and many notable others. 

The band also headlined many high-profile conventions/festivals throughout such as Ancient Ways in Chicago, KiNvention North in Toronto, Endless Nights in New Orleans, Radio Active in Detroit, GenCon in Indianapolis, The International Body Art Expo in Columbus, Paganstock in Michigan, Doomsday Metal Fest in Milwaukee and The Long Black Veil in New York. 

URN released their second full-length album, “Scribings of a Forgotten Soul” in July 2009, again on Rotting Corpse Records, and the band would continue its relentless approach to international touring and promoting by being direct support acts for artists such Tarja Turunen for full tours as well as being selected for regional tours with artists such as Epica, Leaves Eyes, Ensiferum, Tyr, and The Genitorturers.

In 2011, the band relocated from Chicago, Il to Orlando, FL to seek a new perspective on many facets of life and music and in early 2014 signed with Dark Moon Records and recorded their fourth major release “Epiphany” with a scheduled January 2015 release date.

URN, a band who is always pushing their boundaries and thresholds, looks to continue to do so over the coming years by their life commitment to constantly evolve, adapt, and grow on their musical journey.

Band Members