Uguns is one of the newer flames in the Latvian underground, but it burns with a very old heat. Emerging from Sigulda in 2020, the band fuses black metal’s sharpness with heavy metal’s muscular, riff‑driven backbone, creating a sound that feels both primitive and triumphant. Their aesthetic leans toward the raw, the folkloric, and the earthy—less mythic than Skyforger, less pagan than Salna, but unmistakably Latvian in its grit and tone.

The band’s debut full‑length, Cirvis (2025), is a statement of identity: blunt, forceful, rooted in soil and sweat. The title alone—“axe”—captures the band’s ethos: direct, physical, unpretentious, and built for impact.

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Origins and Identity

Uguns formed in 2020, but its members come from a long lineage of Latvian underground projects. The band’s identity is shaped by:

• Black metal aggression
• Heavy metal riff tradition
• A raw, analog‑leaning production aesthetic
• A distinctly Latvian sense of earth, fire, and physicality

The name Uguns (“fire”) is not symbolic—it’s elemental. The band’s sound is built around heat, force, and momentum rather than atmosphere or mysticism.

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Musical Style

Uguns sits at the crossroads of two traditions:

Black metal elements

• Harsh vocals
• Cold tremolo passages
• Occasional dissonant edges

Heavy metal elements

• Big, muscular riffs
• Driving mid‑tempo rhythms
• A sense of swagger and physicality

The fusion gives Uguns a tone that is both primitive and catchy—closer to early Bathory or the black/heavy hybrids of the 80s than to modern atmospheric black metal.

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Discography

Cirvis — Full‑length, 2025

The band’s debut album and their defining statement.
Expect:

• Riff‑centric songwriting
• A raw, unpolished sound
• Themes rooted in physicality, conflict, and elemental force
• A blend of blackened harshness with heavy‑metal groove

The album positions Uguns as a band with a clear identity from the outset.

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Lineup and Contributions

Uguns’ lineup is small but composed of musicians with deep roots in the Latvian scene.

Current Members

Member	Role	Notes
Guntis Kursišs	Guitars, vocals (2020–present)	The band’s founder and creative core; also active in Līgas pH3 and Pilskalns.
Mārtiņš Skuja	Bass (2023–present)	Known from Deodium and Vemma; brings technical precision and rhythmic weight.
Artūrs Jurjāns	Drums (2023–present)	Formerly of Skyforger, Vemma, and U‑13; his experience adds power and discipline to the band’s sound.

The addition of Skuja and Jurjāns in 2023 marks the transition from a project to a fully realized band.

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Position in the Latvian Metal Landscape

Uguns occupies a distinct niche:

• A black/heavy hybrid, rare in Latvia’s scene dominated by pagan, atmospheric, and depressive branches.
• A Sigulda‑based project, contributing to the decentralization of Latvian metal beyond Riga.
• A band with roots in multiple underground lineages, giving them a broad stylistic foundation.
• A project that embraces rawness and physicality over mythic or atmospheric themes.

They stand apart from the pagan tradition of Skyforger, the frostbitten solitude of Salna, and the experimental edges of newer acts. Uguns is fire, not frost—heat, not mist.