Not all metal from Mexico has to be black or brutal death metal. Call ov the Void drop their debut album On Grief and Dying into the digital mailbox and, as the album name suggests, this quartet delivers deathdoom. After the very atmospheric ambient intro Disbelief – A Numb Prelude has set the tone, we hear the initially erratic notes of One Last Regret. Not entirely unexpected, a hefty grunt provides the vocal framework. A beautiful clean singing voice is also part of the music. Overall, the vocals are strong, especially when the band uses overlaps between grunts and scream-growls. The music meanders a bit, but nuances and variations keep it interesting enough to keep listening.
Inherent to the genre, the intention is to induce a certain hypnotic state in the listener. However, Into Nothingness breaks that ‘state of being’ by hacking away more firmly. A band like Paradise Lost comes to mind, particularly in terms of guitar riffs and the accompanying atmosphere. A fine depressing spoken sample, undoubtedly from some film, splits the song in two. During the latter part of this sample, I recognize it from the work of the Swedish Shining. However, it fits here perfectly as well. The tragedy and palliative experience then increase somewhat. Shores of Oblivion features a string instrument (violin), whether played live or not. The song itself is beautifully disturbing, with a prominent role for the vocals alongside the slow instrumental progression. Punishment and Fear is nothing more or less than a real piece of doom worship in the style of the aforementioned Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride. Not very original, but damn effective!
With Borrowed Time, the band also delivers a long, calm track of seven minutes. This song impresses even more by alternating calm passages with despair and aggression. The following track, A Peaceful Surrender, features a guest contribution from Błażej Kasprzak (Batushka, Sturmovik). The song consciously seeks a connection with the melodeath/doom sound of the ’90s and sounds as clear and pure as a clock. Closing track Broken Vow is a melancholic, depressing final chord with a fine epic guitar lead that brings On Grief and Dying to a halt. It’s no wonder this album has received such a good and detailed sound, as the duo Samuel Becerra and Dan Swanö handled the production and mastering. Call Ov the Void leave a delightful first business card with a debut that could easily be mistaken for a third or fourth album by the uninitiated.
De redacteuren van Zware Metalen schrijven ieder jaar op vrijwillige basis duizenden artikelen om de metalscene van Nederland en België te ondersteunen. Hiervoor zijn we afhankelijk van inkomsten die gegenereerd worden door het plaatsen van advertenties. Indien deze niet afkomstig zijn van directe partners (zoals poppodia en festivalorganisatoren), zal de overgebleven ruimte opgevuld worden door automatisch gegenereerde advertenties van Google AdSense. Omdat deze gebruik maken van zogeheten ‘tracking cookies’, hebben we volgens de AVG-wet jouw toestemming nodig om deze advertenties weer te kunnen geven. We begrijpen dat onze lezers hun privacy op het internet waarderen, maar het accepteren van het cookiegebruik houdt Zware Metalen (en dus indirect de metalscene) in leven. We hopen daarom dat je instemt met het gebruik van de cookies. Mocht je er interesse in hebben, kun je onze privacyverklaring lezen.
