UMUR "Spiritually Uncontrolled Art" is the debut release by Swedish death metal act Liers in Wait. It´s a 5 track, 17:04 minutes long EP released through Dolores Records in 1992. While Liers in Wait is probably considered a footnote in Swedish death metal history (they broke up in 1995 and this was their sole release), one of the band members would go on to have quite the prolific career in metal anyway. Guitarist and main composer Kristian Wåhlin is the man behind some of the most iconic cover artworks in black and death metal including the cover artwork for albums like "In the Nightside Eclipse (1994)" by Emperor and "The Somberlain (1993)" and "Storm of the Light's Bane (1995)" by Dissection.

The music on the EP is old school Swedish death metal but on the more technical side. It´s not tech death metal by any means, but there are quite a few tempo changes and riffs featured in each track. The band successfully incorporate the occassional keyboard part too which provides the music with an additional layer. The EP was recorded at the Sunlight Studios in Stockholm, Sweden and was produced by Liers In Wait and Tomas Skogsberg and features the unmistakable fat buzzaw Sunlight Studios guitar sound. The growling vocals are courtesy of Christoffer Johnsson (Therion) who guests on the EP. The musicianship is strong and especially drummer Hans Nilsson plays in a varied and quite technically challenging style. The drumming style is definitely one of the things that sets "Spiritually Uncontrolled Art" apart from most other old school Swedish death metal releases out there.

While all of the above point in the direction that "Spiritually Uncontrolled Art" could be a killer release, I have my reservations when evaluating the EP. The tracks don´t really stick after they finish and they are also a bit structurally messy to my ears. I hear a lot of great ideas but if you ask me they are not put together in the most appropriate fashion. A 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.