2023-06-20 07:00:32
(c) Vacant Voice
Although they have only been talked regarding since the beginning of 2023, there is a lot of work to be done in the first album Vacant Voice. The quintet from Racine, Wisconsin, which includes former members of Eleventh Hour Onset, To Trust A Liar and Ethan Taylor, spent four years developing their debut metalcore approach. In the eight tracks of „Cathartic Beauty“ there is a lot of beauty, honesty and emotionality, which actually works wonderfully.
“Roscoe’s Violent Dreams” sums up this exciting balancing act, with frontman Brad Wilson quickly proving to be the master of his craft. Especially the clear vocals, which one would rather place in the post-hardcore realm, brings excitement into the sound, while angry screams reign all around. Garnished with a bit of mid-tempo heaviness and occasional subtle melodies, the result is an idiosyncratic mix in the best sense of the word, which pushes metalcore boundaries and at the same time catches your ear. The following “No Forever” also seeks – and finds – its center once more and once more, especially in the sung main part, which bites on.
In comparison, “Detachment” seems almost classic in places. Dayseeker’s Rory Rodriguez gets involved and gives the digression that flirts with djent concepts that certain something – a rough breakwater that rolls over in the best sense of the word. “Transience” strives for classic fare and wrests a pleasant freshness from familiar Metalcore approaches – direct, powerful, but also anthemic and catchy as hell. In “Half Light” repeated quiet interludes provide relaxation, dynamic acts of madness, but also ballad-like undertones. Accompanied by uncomfortably unsparing vocals, magic ensues.
After just half an hour it’s over once more, but Vacant Voice really said it all in a nutshell. In fact, the US quintet finds its own, familiar and at the same time different approach to freshly interpreting a supposedly chosen genre. Still, “Cathartic Beauty” by no means reinvents the metalcore wheel; It doesn’t have to be, because the small details work so well. Years of work and attention to detail outshine everything – a made-to-measure debut that is reminiscent of the big boom regarding twenty years ago in the best sense of the word.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 06/23/2023
Available from: self-distribution
Website: www.vacantvoice.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VacantVoice
Category: Magazin, Reviews
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