When you woke up this morning, I bet you thought to yourself “I really could use more doom metal in my life, but where can I possibly find some of this rare, nearly unattainable genre?” Fear not stalwart doom lover, I’ve got just the album for you. Void Rot’s debut EP “Celestial Void” is a three track affair that clocks in at just over 15 minutes in length, and while it doesn’t take many chances its still worth putting in and around your ear holes for its short run time.
Void Rot seem to be shooting for that gut-quaking doom/death sound that the kids these days go wild for; you know, the kind that may make you involuntarily empty your bowels if turned up too loud. While Void Rot are on their way to the fabled brown sound quake we all adore, “Consumed By Oblivion” falls a bit short in that department. I found that the guitar tone isn’t as thick as it I wish it was, but the rest of Void Rots gritty and “practiced and well played but also kinda loose” sound hits the mark for me. While I’m here talking about tones and whatnot, it’s worth mentioning that this album doesn’t have the wet cardboard box drum sound that always seems to pop up in doom that a win in my book. Everything in the mix seems crisp and clear, with only a moment or two that the guitar threaten to overtake all of the other instruments.
The three tracks on this EP all start roughly the same way, with a light bit of clean guitar before unleashing the death infused doom we all know is coming. I wish that on at least one of these tracks they had chosen to jump right into the fray and come out with a cacophonous “fuck you” intro, because right now it can be difficult to determine exactly which track you’re on until you’re well into it. There’s no need to wade slowly into the water each time to climatize us, we can handle a few surprise plunges into the deep darkness. The title track “Consumed by Oblivion” is the strongest and most realized of the three tracks on display here, showcasing some of the most interesting work on the album and is the track I’d recommend you check out if you only have time in your doomy life to listen to one of them.
the “Consumed by Oblivion” EP seems like a good intro to the band, though I hope this sound gets expanded on and experimented with a bit more in future releases because while it’s well made but it also isn’t taking any chances. This album cruises along the well-travelled highway of doom metal when it could benefit from a few stops along the way to differentiate it from the rest of the convoy. It’s 2019 and there are a million and a half dudes with long hair and beards (see: the writer of this piece) making slow and low metal so you really need something unique to stand out from the denim clad and dope-smoke entrenched crowd. I’m interested to see what Void Rot release when it comes time for a full length.
You can grab “Consumed By Oblivion” digitally here or you can pick up a copy on vinyl or cassette here.
-Scott
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