Voidgazer Dance of the Undesirables

Join Voidgazer in the Perilous, Tempting "Dance of the Undesirables" (Early EP Stream)


In heavy metal, I would normally consider “sleazy” and “progressive” to be two opposite ends of a linear divide, but Voidgazer, in a feat of non-Euclidean contortion, manages to achieve both at the same time. Banish all thoughts of “voidgaze,” the genre, from your head: the St. Louis-based band’s sophomore EP Dance of the Undesirables is a whirlwind of extreme metal that seamlessly meshes together grind, thrash, death, heavy metal, and more into a ripping assault on the senses and rationality. Most bands that sound this filthy do so with a proudly regressive approach, but Voidgazer’s new EP contains quite a few dazzling moments that come coated in oil-stained menace. Stream it below in full ahead of its release:

Mostly comprised of frantic riffy mayhem, the sharp guitar work on Dance of the Undesirables drives the action, slithering from one blistering riff to another as the rhythm section and vocals keep up the misanthropic pressure. Nothing stays too long, with songs often switching up feel entirely to throw in punishing interludes or a ripping solo—or, as in the lengthy and majestic title track, an unexpected jazz break. The following track “Blast Equalizer,” perhaps true to its name, throws in some slower doom parts alongside upbeat progressive shreds, slipping into a drunken swing for much of the second half.

This sort of multi-genre mixup can often go off the rails and feel like an incomprehensible stew of half-baked ideas, but Dance of the Undesirables stays cohesive through sheer sinister will: each song is a full-bore charge to the finish line without any stylistic departure wearing out its welcome. Rather, the band has crafted each riff on this EP with an eye for achieving their signature duality of grime and genius.

The band notes:

Voidgazer is stoked to present to you our five headed mutant child, “Dance of the Undesirables.” This record is not for the faint of heart, so grab your helmet and get ready for a hard and fast ride.

Dance of the Undesirables releases independently on August 27th via the band’s Bandcamp page.