VOID EMPEROR - MARAUDERS (DOOM/SLUDGE/HEAVY METAL, RELEASED, JULY 7TH) (REVIEW)

 

Bog knew this was going to be special when the opening track "The Cimmerian" opened with battle horns and homages to all things barbarian, which are continued throughout. Bog stopped Bogging and imagined thyself in another world, another time, when not ensnared by the trappings of the Bog Lands. I saw myself as The Cimmerian, running, steel in hand, to beat back all who dare defy Bognan the Bogarian. Superb introductory track with nice war vocals, but vocalist Dezmodeus goes nicely between clean and unclean, melding the process together to carry the atmosphere within Marauders. Bog wonders if the guys are also fans of Warhammer, Chaos Marauders, and such. It's been a while since Bog was chased out of that realm for excessive Bog pooping in a Chaos Lord's bone palace. All I can remember were the bones, and the PR department arguing about how can they keep promoting Chaos effectively when the price of an army costs more than a US aircraft carrier. Bog had been drinking quite a lot of whiskey that day, so this may not be 100 percent accurate. 

Musically think classic Sabbath Doom with mid paced parts in some of the songs. Very well thought out music and played to bring a fantasy aesthetic, and world to life. Reading about the band, they state "The Void Emperor live concert is a multi-sensory experience incorporating ceremonial costumes, macabre set design, and visual effects. They are currently developing material for their follow up album." 

It's nice when an artist/band does a story driven concept approach focusing on a live stage show that tells a story through music. Bog likes to Bog down with heavy mosh pit Bog like anyone, but this caught Bog's ear. Bog hopes Void Emperor are given the chance to play at a castle one day with the foggy night sky and the barbarian hordes gathered.  

The riffs are timed nicely, and aren't overriding the singer's voice, and the drums function as a strong supporting component, not too loud or quiet. Balanced, no tin pot sounds. My impression is they wanted an accessible album that did 2 things: captivated the listener's imagination, and ensured an enjoyable balanced listen where you would be happy to revisit the music, not just a one shot deal.

A worthy mention is the track Zong Masscare, demonstrates a good higher pitched vocal tone that runs with stronger tempo pace upon the song.

Bog recommends: Why? Conan comes to metal and this time, its worthy of The Riddle of Steel. ' Conan. What is best in life?', ' To listen to Void Emperor and immerse yourself.' 


'Marauders' is available from Bandcamp: https://voidemperor.bandcamp.com/album/marauders-2

Further information and news about about Void Emperor @ https://voidemperor.com/home


Popular posts from this blog

DYSENTERY - DEJECTION CHRYSALIS (BRUTAL DEATH/SLAM, REVIEW, RELEASED NOV 7TH, COMATOSE MUSIC)

Image
Introduction Ten years have passed since ‘Fragments’ was released and Dysentery have returned with forthcoming album ‘Dejection Chrysalis’ , which is due for release through Comatose Music on November 7 th . Dysentery are back to present a no filler album that is up there with all previous releases. Sometimes, we hear albums/Eps from bands, and you wish there was more time taken in recording the album, as a particular part feels missing. None of that here with Dejection Chrysalis . This a piece of music that has been worked on incredibly hard, and if you enjoy all things heavy, then this isn't to be passed by. There are guest vocal appearances from Josh Welshman (Defeated Sanity), Jared Weed (Concrete, Futility) and JT Knight (Invoke Thy Wrath). For those interested I in the artwork for the album cover it was done by Hidris (Anhedonic, Reign Of Erebus, Snakepit etc). Dejection Chrysalis made Bog relive his memory of the 4th Bog War, a bloody conflict between Bog creatures and ou...
Read more

BEAUTIFUL FREAKIN' WEIRDO: ZAP THE FEAR (INDUSTRIAL METAL, RELEASED INDEPENDENTLY 08/08/25, REVIEW)

Image
Beautiful Freakin' Weirdo released Zap The Fear a few months ago and is an Industrial Metal offering featuring 3 high octane tracks through a lyrical, and musical journey about real world hell and the psychological connection to it. I am Fire   has an upbeat rhythm with a consistent pace designed to keep people on the dance floor. It's kind of a mix between Static X with Rob Zombie with a slow acid techno hook coming around 2 minutes in. The vocals deliver the chorus effectively with a catchy riff serving as the signature for the song along with a fast paced beat for the drums with fairly high BPM. Psychohead continues on from the fast opening to maintain the pace and not allow people to leave the dancefloor. The drums are particularly good on this track, and support the guitars and vocals nicely. Vocals again deliver the lyrics and their message clear with a chorus for fans to sing along, or shout out on the dance floor. Pyschohead is definitely more on the metal side compa...
Read more