The pigeonhole-shy Bordeaux post-metal quintet embrace the darkness on debut album
The album leads off with a nautical mood-piece that echoes post-Waters Pink Floyd entitled “Diving in the Deepest Sea”. It’s a scene-setting introduction that is short but sets up the seven tracks to follow neatly.
Described as post-rock, atmospheric metal with progressive metal tendencies and a fondness for Pink Floyd it’s a eclectic world that An Ocean of Void inhabit. Comparisons have been made with bands like Russian Circles and, more appropriately, Ghost Brigade and that might give you an initial indication of the type of music this band produces but it by no means gives you the whole story.
There are some moments that would not be out of place on a modern-day Black Metal release but overall the sound evokes a dark and melancholic atmosphere punctuated by raw moments of intense energy. This is illustrated best on tracks like “Silent Storm”, “Resonance” and “Enigma” which all share a similar unsettling ambience before letting the full fury of inner rage loose.
There are more straight forward passages on the album such as “A Faded Light” which is probably the heaviest track on the album. It is certainly a highlight on an album riddled with a fine mix of sophistication and brutality.
Production-wise the drums could certainly do with being lifted a notch or two as they do tend to blend into the background rather than power the tracks through, especially in the heavier moments. The same can be occasionally said for the guitars but these are relatively minor quibbles as the talent and musicianship on display.
The album is not without fault but it allows the band to establish themselves within whatever genre they choose to dismiss by making a statement of intent that suggest whilst they may be far from the finished article they have at least a great foundation with which to build upon.
Donnie’s Rating: 8/10
Tracklist:
1. Diving in the Deepest Sea
2. Enigma
3. Silent Storm
4. Resonance
5. Behind Red Clouds
6. An Ocean of Void Part. I
7. A Faded Light
8. An Ocean of Void Part. II
Line-up:
Floran Guillou: vocals
Benoît Lamote: guitar, keys and backing vocals
Julien Lesseur: guitar and backing vocals
Jean-Luc Marro: bass
Pierre Delmas: drums
You can order the new ‘The Great Escape’ album from Inverse http://www.inverse.fi/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=540
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anoceanofvoid
Bandcamp: https://anoceanofvoid.bandcamp.com
