Uridium have been building a quiet but undeniable momentum, rooted in old school metal, sharp songwriting and a line up that knows exactly what it wants to be. We caught up with them to talk origins, influences and the road that led to their latest chapter.

Interview

TheNwothm: First of all guys can you introduce the band, the members and where you are from?

U: Gary Vescio, founder – guitar and backing vocals from Ashington near Newcastle.

James Morgan – drummer from Norwich.

Cameron Brown – lead vocals from Norwich.

Paul Cuttiing – guitar from Norwich.

Slug (Ian Hill) – bass and backing vocals from Norwich.

TheNwothm: What brought the members of Uridium together in the first place, and when did it feel like this line‑up had its own identity?

U: When I started the band I just brought in like-minded friends that were up for getting a band together. We had a stable line up for quite a while, but as time went on, members left for various reasons and bit by bit our current line up formed, with myself being the only original member. Cameron was the final member to join, and that was the point at which I knew we had a team that would all march on in the same direction.

TheNwothm: Your name has a striking, almost elemental quality. What drew you to the word Uridium and what did it represent to you at the time?

U: Uridium is the title of an old Spectrum game I played in the as a kid. Proper old school stuff. We do get asked if Uridium is actually an element or a type of metal. Unfortunately, not. Although it is close to Iridium which is a rare metal.

TheNwothm: Every city has its quirks. Is there anything about Norwich that has quietly slipped into your writing or the way you approach being a band?

U: Norwich is a Historic city, we all love living in this part of the country, and it has one of the best music scenes around. We actually used a picture of its castle on one of our t shirts, it just seemed to fitting. I mean a castle is surely as old school as it gets, right.

TheNwothm: When you think back to growing up, was there a moment, album or gig that made you realise music was going to be a central part of your life?

U: Personally watching Iron Maiden’s Live after Death on VHS, it blew my mind. I thought, I want to do that! It was a total game changer for me.

TheNwothm: Bands often collect strange memories on the road or in rehearsal rooms. Is there a story from Uridium’s early days that still makes you laugh?

U: That moment we thought Slug (Ian) was dead in the back of the van for hours without anyone realising as he’s always so quiet anyway. It turned out he hadn’t taken his insulin. The next time I shared a hotel room with him I couldn’t sleep because every time he made a noise I thought he was going to bite the dust.

TheNwothm: Are there any newer bands from the UK or beyond that have caught your attention recently?

U: Sanguis Mortem impressed us as they’re really young guys and have so much drive and ambition which is great to see. Our friends Imperium were watched by Rob Flynn at Bloodstock which gives them big bragging rights for sure. Finally, our mates in War Grave had Ripper Owens guest on their track, and they’re generally just awesome on recording and live.

TheNwothm: Your first EP “In for the Kill” arrived in 2023. Looking back, what moment from making that release still sticks with you the most?

U: Making our first video for the title track, and having loads of fun doing it. We used anything we could find lying about in Paul’s unit … gas burners, fire extinguishers and electric fans to blow Cameron’s hair haha. 

TheNwothm: Was there a particular turning point during that EP where you felt, “Right, this is what Uridium should feel like”?

U: As soon as we started playing live with Cameron as our singer, that is the point when we knew the band was complete. His energy and enthusiasm complemented everything about the band, with our high energy songs and our ethos of having a great time doing what we love, and not taking ourselves too seriously.

The songs for the EP were already written when the current lineup formed, but everyone brought their own thing to the party, so to speak. Slug’s Steve Harris style bass playing, Paul’s lead guitar playing that perfectly compliment mine, James’s solid machine man drumming, and Cameron’s vocal style which is exactly what we were looking for. Once we all started working as a complete unit, we knew that there was something good going on. 

TheNwothm: “Reflections of Insanity” is a big step for any band, especially as a full‑length independent release. What was the spark that set this album in motion?

U: After playing Bloodstock Festival, the highlight of our career so far, we knew we had to build on that. Winning M2TM and playing the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock is a platform, a springboard if you like, but you have to put the work in and follow it up. It was no brainer really, we have all these songs, we had to get them packaged up as an album and get it out there. So here we are.

TheNwothm: The tracklist moves through titles like “Sanctum”, “Fire and Lies”, “Bloodshot Eyes” and “Monster”. When you look at the album as a whole, what ties these songs together for you?

U: People have asked if it is a concept album, it was never the intention. But when I started this band I was working in a psychiatric hospital, so much inspiration for writing songs, I didn’t realise at the time how much I probably was being influenced by my surroundings. Pretty much everything on the album in some way reflects this crazy world we live in, the state of planet, rubbish in the media, wars, political bullshit, and just lies and mind control everywhere … well at least that’s how I see it, and I see how it is affecting people. So yeah, that is the insanity that ties it altogether I guess. The album actually is a reflection of insanity!

TheNwothm: Was there a song on “Reflections of Insanity” that challenged you in an unexpected way during writing or recording?

U: Yes, I guess the most unexpected challenge was with Sanctum, nothing to do with the writing or recording, it was the last song I wrote for the album and it didn’t take long to write so I was really happy with it. The problem was, Paul really didn’t like it at all, I couldn’t figure out why as everyone else really liked it. He just didn’t want to play it at all, he hated it. I’d never had this problem before. Anyway, we persevered and Paul’s only solution it seems was to play lots of lead guitar on it, it ended up with probably the most lead out of all our songs, and I can’t complain really as it has only made it even better, and it’s now one of our most popular songs.  I’m still not sure if Paul likes it, haha.

TheNwothm: Outside of music, what hobbies or interests help you reset or spark ideas when you’re not in band mode?

U: Personally, I haven’t taken any time away from music in years, wherever I’m doing I have unfinished songs going around in my head, all of the time. I’m now going to stop writing for a while as I’ve realised you have to break from it. It’s like forgetting to breath. A bit of time around family, travelling and more chill time between shows. 

TheNwothm: How has the live response been so far, and what does a perfect Uridium gig feel like from your side of the stage?

U: We usually get a great response when we play, our energy and love for what we do transfers well, and we always seem to make an impact and pick up new followers wherever we play. Some places we play, people are just ready to engage and have the best night possible, we just love playing those sort gigs. You can’t beat it.

TheNwothm: Are there any touring plans, festivals or cities you’re hoping to hit next?

U: We’ve just played our first gig in Scotland at Dundee Metalfest, which was great fun, and we have some more festivals coming up over the summer such as SlayFest in Norwich which is actually organised and run by James. Also, Bay Days in Chelmsford and Mearfest in Nuneaton which we are really looking forward to. We’d love to play Bloodstock again and other festivals like it, we’re working on it! We also have half an eye on getting over to Europe at some point.