Poland’s Łukasz Icanraz is to self-release a debut album, Coming Out, on 18 August, under his one-man project moniker of UKĆ. That’s been preceded by two previous single releases, with the latest, ‘Deaf Eyes’, out now.
“‘Deaf Eyes ‘is a song about a very serious social problem which is addiction to another person and physical and mental domestic violence,” said Icanraz. “This is the story of a woman who desperately seeks normality in her life. Unfortunately, the story comes from my family home, making this song very personal and emotional for me.
“‘Deaf Eyes’ is my voice of support for people struggling with this type of problem. This is my attempt to make others aware of the fact that such a problem exists and is developing all around us. Please keep your eyes open, because maybe somewhere near you there is a similar situation of a person who is simply afraid to talk about it out loud. Let’s not underestimate this.”
Icanraz is known from his work with bands such as Corruption, Christ Agony, Devilish Impressions, Hermh, Abused Majesty, Virgin Snatch, Darzamat and Voidfire. He started UKĆ in 2017 in Białystok, Poland, with him responsible for all instruments (vocals, drums, guitars, bass, keyboards), compositions, lyrics and production.
The first official release was the Przemijanie EP, released in November 2022, followed by the Polish version of the first full-length album Coming Out in April this year (Available here). With a desire to break boundaries and reach different audiences, UKĆ prepared an English version of the debut album that will be released digitally in August.
About the album, Icanraz said: “The album contains eight extensive compositions filled to the brim with emotions and very personal lyrics. It’s atmospheric metal with a rock flair where stylistic boundaries seem to be non-existent. This music is aimed at people with open minds and is my absolute artistic coming out. It was the first time I stepped out of my comfort zone and did something of this magnitude.”
Tracks featured are: ‘King For A Day…’, ‘Fading Away’, ‘Uncertainty’, ‘Deaf Eyes’, ‘To The Fall’, ‘Why’, ‘Withering’, and ‘…Fool For A Lifetime’.
While a one-man studio project, UKĆ is a four-person band when performing live: Icanraz on vocals and guitar, Łukasz Bielemuk on guitar, Mateusz Demaniuk on bass and Paweł Staniszczak on drums.
You can check out the videos for all the singles released thus far right here at RAMzine.
Regarding ‘the single Fading Away’, Icanraz said: “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.”
