CHURCH OF VOID – Dead Rising
- Posted on 30-07-2013
According to background research I’ve done regarding this Finnish doom metal band, certain members of Church Of Void have previous metal experience in the symphonic epic metal act Battlelore and the black metal band Horna. So we aren’t dealing with young musicians in this five-piece act, even if the band originated in 2010. "Dead Rising" is their debut album, hot on the heels of their self-released "Winter Is Coming" EP last year- and these 8 tracks feature a classic European style with the heart of traditional doom in the arrangements and musical interplay.
Aspects of songs like "Entity of Kalypso" and "Winter Is Coming" take in the Tiamat meets Lake Of Tears sound with Kyuss and Black Sabbath reverberating in the background. Outside of the cool stage names like vocalist Magus Corvus, lead guitarist Adolp Darkschneider, and drummer Byron Vortex, Church Of Void live for the strength of a cool riff, an eerie melody to match it, and this rhythmic groove factor that lulls you into a sense of morose security. "Owls Are Listening" for instance opens with these hypnotic clean guitars and the bass entering for sparse notes- before the electricity kicks in and you sway to the mid-tempo arrangement. "Little Child Lost" at 8:44 is the longest cut on "Dead Rising"- and also the slowest, churning at a snail’s pace with these great Solitude Aeturnus/ Candlemass-like chord progressions yet with a rawer appeal until the closing minute where it gains more of a punk-like time change.
Not your typical doom metal outfit, Church Of Void could gain a modest following because they inject this sense of gothic gloom into their style, but always remember the core aspects of what gets listeners buzzing: the signature riff. 43 minutes and change that I can see my ears returning to very often, "Dead Rising" could be your doom platter to champion in 2013.