With the music industry based in the Northern hemisphere acts from south of the equator are isolated. One advantage is original regional scenes developing, a case in point being
Melbourne, Australia spawning a host of metalcore acts. Void Of Vision are leading the charge and they’ve used lockdown to reimagine their 2019 album Hyperdaze by reworking songs with a host of guest appearances.
From the opening bars of “Year Of The Rat” it becomes immediately apparent that Void Of Vision aren’t treading water. Like two heavyweight boxers trading punches it’s very moshpit inducing as the drums and bass combine to deliver a series of hammer blows. But Void Of Vision are about more than pure bludgeon and have a sound that swings determinedly from crushing brutality to more edgy, almost ethereal parts. Guest vocalist Jacob Charlton (Thornhill) has given the song a new dynamic and brings out harmonies that were previously buried. In fact Jacob has made “Year Of The Rat” his own: it evolved so much it now sounds like a Thornhill tune.
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I’m usually wary of bands tinkering with their history; an album documents a moment in time, warts and all, and I find retrospective airbrushing the musical equivalent of Stalin’s purges. Thankfully Hyperdaze doesn’t fall into this category primarily because the degree to which the tracks are reworked. They are not mere facsimiles; those who guest are allowed to impart their own stamp on proceedings and the songs become whole new beasts. Northlane guitarist Jon Deiley originally wrote “Adrenaline” and he was invited back to undertake the remix. Techno was never my favourite genre but here, extend to twice its length, it makes perfect sense and adds another flavour to a shapeshifting album.
We’re back on familiar ground with the caustic “Kerosene Dream” and the addition of Silent Planet’s Garrett Russell has really beefed things up and some ferocious blast beats only increase the level of insanity. Factor in some cut throat riffage and a chorus not dissimilar to Metallica’s “Creeping Death” and you have the soundtrack to civil disobedience. The guests who appear not only attest to the strength of Australia’s metalcore scene but worldwide too with Crossfaith’s Ken Koie representing Japan and Lucas Woodward (Holding Absence) flying the flag for Wales on the viscous “If Only”.
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Hyperdaze (Redux) is a risky move for a relatively young band but, in a case of fortune favouring the brave, it works. More than just a companion piece, in many ways it tops its parent album. And if anything good has come from the global lockdown, it’s Hyperdaze (Redux).
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Hyperdaze (Redux) is out now
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