Emptiness’ transformation has been fascinating to follow over the years, as while the group started off with a black/death metal foundation their work already showed a flair for the experimental early on. By 2014’s Nothing But the Whole the approach had shifted significantly towards something that was genuinely surreal and unsettling, and while some of the distortion and extremity was retained the writing had a colder and more exploratory feel than others in the genre. 2017’s Not For Music pushed further outside of metal territory into post punk, darkwave, and gothic elements, while 2021’s Vide removed distortion entirely and offered the band’s most abstract and claustrophobic soundscapes to date. The latter didn’t fully click with me as much as the two before, but left me curious as to where Emptiness would go from there as it felt like they had pushed some of the sparser, exploratory elements to their peak levels. Five years later, the answer comes in the form of a return to metallic tones with Nowhere Speaks, which literally picks up where the closing track of Nothing But the Whole ended. It’s not quite a full shift back to the black/death foundation of old but feels like a natural expansion of what Nothing But the Whole was going for while also capturing everything else the group has done along the way.
It’s certainly an interesting move to begin your new album by completing the riff from another release in your discography from twelve years ago, but this showcases how Nowhere Speaks serves as both a natural complement and expansion of the sound Nothing But the Whole waschanneling. But like that album, the black and death metal elements don’t come through in the more chaotic and outwardly aggressive manner that are typical for the genres, instead using them as a way to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere that feels like you’re trying to find your way through a maze of unlit rooms. “The Threat” is a great early example of the type of push and pull mechanics the album uses to its advantage, as there’s a low-end rumble and almost machinelike pulse that drives things forward while haunting leads and synths swirl over top of them. Each time that it seems like Emptiness might head into more traditional territory they flip the script a little way in, as songs like “The Clash of Forces” bring in loud, pummeling drum work and death metal adjacent riffing but transition to a more surreal and soaring melody. “Words to Wind” is another highlight, as the synths dominate in this track and create soundscapes that bring imagery of abandoned, rusting factories with their machines still operating to mind. The group does throw in some abrupt transitions again, with “Next in Line” building up a much louder peak that suddenly completely drops out as “All For Nothing” comes bursting in with wilder drumming. It often feels like Emptiness has taken the colder and claustrophobic tones on their last two albums and run them through the darkness and heavier edges of their earlier works, and the results are mesmerizing. Admittedly it will take a few times through to get a sense of all the different details at work, but there were specific passages that grabbed me on that first listen.
Another element that continues to differentiate Emptiness from all the other black and death metal out there is the vocal work. Rather than your usual screams and growls, the approach here can best be described as distorted whispers and nightmarish tones. It’s almost as if you’re hearing a ghoul or other entity whispering in your ear, and the way that the vocals hover slightly above the rest of the band is effective when it comes to keeping a constant sense of tension. Some tracks increase the clarity, and instead of things coming through as a whisper they sound much closer and feel like the vocalist is going to pop out of your speakers and grab you. In some ways the whispered and distorted growls come through as an extension of the instrumentals, pushing and pulling you in different directions without ever fully revealing their secrets.
Though they may have brought back riffs and tonality that channels more black and death metal again, Emptiness continues to twist them in ways that are unexpected and make their overall sound impossible to fit into a specific box. This is an album that needs time to fully get under your skin, but once it does it rewards the listener with new discoveries as they dive beneath the surface. At times this comes through like the musical equivalent of a David Lynch or Alejandro Jodorowsky film, but with a noticeably metallic and nightmarish tone layered over it, and if that sounds appealing this is an album worth experiencing. Nowhere Speaks is available from Season of Mist.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg