PREDATORY VOID – SEVEN KEYS TO THE DISCOMFORT OF BEING
LABEL: Century Media Records
RELEASE: April 21st, 2023
AUTHOR: Matthew McCune
01. Grovel
02. *(struggling..)
03. Endless Return To The Kingdom Of Sleep
04. Seeds Of Frustration
05. The Well Within
06. Shedding Weathered Skin
07. Funerary Vision
Staring into the endless abyss and contemplating the existential dread of life is one of my favorite Summer activities. Something about it just makes me spring to life for those warm, endless Summer nights. But, while engaging in my favorite Summer hobby, I sometimes feel like it can get a little lonely without an accompanying soundtrack. Thank Satan that there’s a new album out by Belgian post-metal band PREDATORY VOID to fill in the, well, void!
Brooding, moody and cinematic are just a few cliched adjectives that I could use to describe the outfits debut album, but it really needs to be heard to be understood. Right from the start we are thrown to the hellhounds with “Grovel“. If you’re a fan of sludge and satanic rituals, something about this track just really hits the spot. The low gutturals torturous shrieks somehow pierce through the wall of sound that envelops the listener like a blanket made of the cries of tormented demons.
The next track “*(struggling..)“ is accompanied by a healthy dose of dissonance and hypnotic vocals, taking the listener to a world they may be unfamiliar with. Vocalist Lina R. continues to expand on her diverse vocal presentation by adding layers of unclean vocals and spoken-word sections that mesh together perfectly.
“Endless Return To The Kingdom Of Sleep“ gives more of a death/doom atmosphere that kicks the album into a sonic horror film, constantly haunting the listener’s ears before the band gives us a break from the action with “Seeds Of Frustration“, a folk-inspired track that brings out the heathen spirit in all of us.
The next two tracks on the album, “The Well Within“ and “Shedding Weathered Skin“ are a one-two punch of aggression and mystery. The latter of the two tracks brings back the wall of sounds that defined the first tracks of the album.
The finale of the album is “Funerary Vision“, a nearly ten-minute long gargantuan of a closer. In one song, the band seemingly deconstructs everything we know about the heavy metal genre and serves it on a platter of perfect rhythmic integrity, interesting sonic soundscapes that move like waves throughout the runtime, and a somber closing few seconds that offers room for introspection. Throughout the roller-coaster of a closer, we are taken on a ride of aggression, beautiful musicality and haunting vocals that will leave your jaw nailed to the floor.
If you are a fan of post-metal or are just looking for something to cut through the monotony of corporate metal, give PREDATORY VOID a try. You’ll be severely missing out if you don’t.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/PredatoryVoid