Void of Sleep : "The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare"

It's been 2015 since we covered Void of Sleep. I remember the album being on the harder rock side of sludge, but let's see how they have evolved as a band in the past decade. The first actual song on this album feels more atmospheric than what I remember from them. The vocals fall in a manner not unlike Mastodon's more melodic moments. The vocals are belted in a more doom-like manner when things build dynamically. "Misfortune Teller" works along similar lines with a more syncopated Tool creep to it than the previous song. 

"Lullaby of Woe" is more moody and progressive, with the vocals just riding the riffs rather than being a hooky focus on the songwriting. The vocals sit back in the mix to make this more apparent, and a thick atmosphere hovers over the guitar. At almost 10 minutes, they milk the mood for as long as they can. It slowly builds up for a simmering breakdown. They jam off this for almost half the song. Around the 8-minute mark, a guitar solo creates the chance to build things.

 There is a similar shadowy pulse to "From an Unborn Mother," it gives the vocals more room for introspective crooning, though they still still back in the mix. The hypnotic brooding that weaves into form certainly shares some common groove with Tool in the almost Middle Eastern feel that slithers from it. A saxophone solo provdies a sonic change of pace that is preferred to just having another guitar solo, not that they are obsessed with shredding, but needed the change of sonic colors. 

They continue to stay in a jammy midset for "Phantoms of Nihil". The vocals do not come until the two-minute mark, and while they are more forward in the mix, they are not as nuanced as what we heard earlier in the album, though they do build into a more aggressive tone. It feels a little awkward at times. It does not feel like they have spent the last decade working to perfect this element of their sound. The breakdown at the five-minute mark was well timed, though it offers nothing new from them when they jam over it. 

The last song is the darkest and heaviest mood of the album. The vocal harmonies create more of a grunge vibe. I will give this album an 8, which is what their last album received, meaning that these guys are consistent. If you like grunge and progressive rock and wish the two were married more often, then this album will be worth checking out. It drops on Aural Music October 17th, so fans of the band have something to look forward to. 

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