Void's Uncanny Valley Black Metal Challenges Norms (New Song Debut)
For all the super serious black metal I cover here, it's important to remember how not sacred art is. That is to say, all the philosophical ramblings artists blather on about protecting black metal's stylistic conservatism are really moot. We should celebrate creativity, because creativity means you get more and a wider variety of what you like, right? Void, who have both been around for a great while and boasted some of black metal's most unique minds (Kvohst, Czral, et cetera), continue to challenge the idea of what makes black metal itself on their upcoming album Jadjow.
Now featuring current and former members of DHG (and extracurricular project Doedsmaghird), Dreams of the Drowned, and more, Void's ideas behind black metal are ones of deconstruction and reformation. Void's pedigree should indicate their sound: weird, strange, bizarre, a puzzle put together in an alternate fashion to reveal a new picture. Mastermind Matt Jarman's adventurous forays into harmony and rhythm are a reminder that black metal, even in its least recognizable form, is still exactly what it is. There is no mistaking it, though about twenty years ago we'd all be calling this "post-black metal," much to its creators' chagrins.
Listen to an exclusive debut of "Iniquitous Owl" below.
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From the artist:
Who is the Iniquitous Owl? The concept started as a joke, with Geegor suggesting we should have our own bird of prey song, referencing Satyricon's Havoc Vulture and Rushad Eggleston’s acoustic trailer park jam “Brutal Condorrr”, which connected somehow with a poem by George Sterling called "The Dust Dethroned" featuring an owl, hooting into the ear of a sphinx and the end of the ancient Egyptian civilisation. In the playground of the Jadjow there were no bad ideas, something was always coming from nothing and it all got written down. We discussed a spiritual altar where we musicians could meet, even though we were separated physically while writing the music. The altar led to sacrifice, with the owl presiding over the culling of one age in order to bring about the birth of another. The rise and fall of empires and the decadence of man, all conceived against the backdrop of global turmoil that was unfolding in 2020. This song clearly wasn't taking itself very seriously at first, yet, somehow, when it all came together, it became a passionate moment and a highlight of the record. When I heard what the rest of the band brought to this song, the harmonies and harmonics in Camille's guitar, the growling contrary motion melodies in Lars' bass, Tariq's rhythmical inventiveness, it seemed hard to believe that something so progressive had come from such humble beginnings. And that's the beauty of being in a band, isn't it? You never know what you're gonna get.
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Jadjow releases December 7th via Brucia Records. Follow Void on Bandcamp.
