Originally written by Erik Thomas
After the crushing, debut EP, Null from this supergroup of sorts (Intronautboasts members of Impaled, Anubis Rising and Uphill Battle), Void was definitely one of my most anticipated releases of the great CD explosion of August 22, 2006. However, the bar may have been set too high with Null.
Now DO NOT get me wrong; Void is a fantastic record. It’s heavy, abrasive and challenging, bit it does not that ‘special’ level that I thought it would hit. Less expansive and Isis–y and more angular and direct in the vein ofAnodyne, American Heritage or even Mastodon, Void is less about mountainous throbbing, but more jagged and technical tones. Again, not necessarily bad, but to these ears, not as effective or memorable as Null.
Sure there are some moments of lumbering, gargantuan heft (“Gleamer”) and some brief sprinkles of ambient atmosphere (starts of “Fault Lines” and “Iceblocks”, “Nostalgic Echo”, parts of “Teledidonics”), but they are never fully part of the songs, just snippets as for the most part Void’s 7 hefty tracks are expositions in stuttering, undulating girth and complexity, like a slurring, staggering doped up Mastodon or Dillinger. So then that means the tracks themselves rarely flow like actual tracks but moments of brilliance strung together; for example the ending climax of “Nostalgic Echo” is sheer riff bliss, but is never developed or fleshed out, instead cut short and bridged into the heaving but aptly named “Teledidonics”, which in turn has it’s own deeply buried highlights towards its end. The waning moments of “Rise to Midden” make it an arguable standout track, but never to the point if instant playback or sheer “wow” factor.
It’s plausible that due to the sheer volume of metal I listen to that Voiddoesn’t quite ‘click’ with me and just doesn’t stand out amid the 100’s of Cds I have to wade through each year. That being said, I imagine a casual metal fan could quite possibly be blown away by Void, it’s certainly got the chops and the technical bravado to warrant the attention of any fan of high quality metal. Just not this one. I’ll take “Fragments of Character” from Null over any track from Void and thats not a knock on Void, more of an example how good Null was.
This is a classic example of don’t just read my review, but buy/listen/download and make your own opinion. Then let me have it in the lashes like you always do.
