Release
date: March
27th
2020. Label: Aural
Music.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Metaphora
- Tracklisting
1.The
Famine Years
2.Iron
Mouth
3.Waves
of Discomfort
4.Unfair
Judgements
5.Master
Abuser
6.Modern
Man
7.Tides
of the Mourning
Members
Allo
- Drums and percussions
Burdo
- Vox and Guitars
Andrea
- Bass
Gale
- Guitars and Chorus
Momo
- Synths and Keyboards
Review
Metaphora
is the new album from Italian Progressive Sludge/Doom Rockers –
Void Of Sleep. These guys impressed me way back in 2013 when they
released their debut album – Tales Between Reality And Madness. The
band played a heavy stylized and progressive mix of Doom, Psych,
Sludge and Stoner Metal with a twinge of classic hard rock grooves.
Their 2015 album – New World Order – whilst a good album didn’t
match the creative or dynamic flair of it’s predecessor. As the
band went for a much darker theme for their 2nd album.
So what can we expect on their 3rd album. Well the band have struck the right balance of the psychedelic sounds of the 1st album with the more darker and progressive themes of their last album. Metaphora is a more well-rounded experience with the band seeming more relaxed on this album. Metaphora is still a heavy album with aggressive and punishing bursts of LOUD HEAVY ROCK sounds and Post-Doom elements reminding myself of Neurosis and YOB in many places.
The
sludgy undercurrent of the album is what allows Void Of Sleep to play
most of the albums standout moments but the band never forget show
their mellower side with simple strands of Post-Rock appearing here
and there.
The
album has a dreamlike quality in certain stages of the album
especially on songs such as The Famine Years, Iron Tooth and Waves Of
Discomfort. Though the band do like to add a more nightmarish “DOOM”
vibe to the album when the heavy and bleak sounds appear.
Metaphora
is best treated as a singular album broken down into individual
chapters with each song telling the next chapter in a highly complex
and intriguing story. The music is always constantly moving forward
with Burdo’s vocals laying down the context and narrative for the
whole album.
Though
if you’re here for just the music then Void Of Sleep have a wide
array of different styles of Doom/Sludge/Stoner
Metal music to impress you with on this album. The album does have
it’s fair share of Ambient noises as well which takes the album
into more darker avenues.
My
favourite part of the album has to be the 3rd
and 4th
listed songs on the album – Waves Of Discomfort and Unfair
Judgements. As these two songs bring out the best in Void Of Sleep
with the lushly played Psychedelic Post Rock sounds of Waves Of
Discomfort which move into more cinematic based territory on Unfair
Judgements that left me wanting more.
The
production on Metaphora is absolutely flawless with the band never
sounding as good as this. The whole album sounds wonderful from start
to finish and allows Void Of Sleep to play some of the best and
heaviest sounds and grooves of their career.
Metaphora
sees Void Of Sleep capture the early promise first seen on their
debut album and unleash a challenging and exciting album that you
would be foolish to ignore. This is a first rate album and
potentially end up as one of my favourite albums of 2020.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Curtis
at Dewar PR and Elisa
at Aural
Music for
the promo. Metaphora
is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Aural Music from March 27th
2020.
Links:
