The Pitch: Colorado band Call Of The Void follow up the popular Ageless with a nihilistic torrent of blackened sludge via Translation Loss Records. FFO: The Lions Daughter, Lord Mantis, Vermin Womb
What I Like: The band describes Buried In Light as "a truly disturbing tale of valuing death over life and the willingness to give it all up...a concept record about what drives people to walk away from everything - from blind servitude or to suicide in a seemingly "perfect" world." As a mental health professional, I always feel inclined to express that if you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, you're not alone and there are people out there who can help. That said, I think that it is important for people to speak openly about suicide whether that be person to person or, in this case, through artistic expression. Suicide rates have been on the rise, and Call Of The Void do an admirable job of expressing the more bitter and cynical contributing factors through unwaveringly pissed off howls, berating drums, and an unending onslaught of sludgy chord progressions. The distortion surrounds the listener in a thick, putrid oil that stings and suffocates; projecting onto the listener the intended feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. "This is not a shrine, this is a tomb...We are not angels, WE ARE SLAVES!" Think Lord Mantis' Death Mask meets The Lion's Daughter's Existence Is Horror.
Critiques: It gets a little repetetive. There's not a ton of variation in the songwriting, and it frankly goes on a bit too long. I think that this would have worked better at close to 30-35 minutes, but maybe a certain undertone of life's monotony was intentional.
The Verdict: While some trimming is in order, Buried In Light is still a solid album that should particularly please the blackened sludge crowd. I'm holding out for the new Lord Mantis when it comes to really maxing out what this sound is capable of, but Call Of The Void certainly caught my attention and some of these songs are sure to make my regular listening rotation.
Flight's Fav's: Disutility, Suck Me Dry, The Master
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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