VOID OF SLEEP - The Abyss Into Which We All Have To Stare [FULL ALBUM] 2025 (lyrics in comment)

https://peertube.gravitywell.xyz/w/pHzPjj62y6QtQWaMa38UZS

Void of Sleep – The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare Review

By Saunders

Italy’s progressive sludge toilers Void of Sleep unleashed an impressive debut courtesy of 2012’s gripping Tales Between Reality and Madness, dropped a less impressive sophomore album in 2015’s New World Order, before returning to form on the darker progressive explorations of 2020’s Metaphora. Perhaps not helped by a sluggishly sporadic pattern of recorded material, Void of Sleep’s bright talents remain hidden in obscurity, ensuring a low profile. Which is a damn shame, as their albums offer plenty, especially the debut and Metaphora. Out of the blue, Void of Sleep re-emerge for the first time in over five years, locked and loaded with their wordily titled fourth album, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare. Can Void of Sleep emerge from an extended slumber to flex their songwriting muscles and write an album to finally grant them the exposure this gifted unit deserve?

Void of Sleep long refined the burly, hook-laden ball of energy of their debut into the darker, introspective, progressive rock channels of their more recent material. Each LP shares familiar elements while remaining distinctive. Charting complex, winding arrangements and post-metal swells, without abandoning their psych flourishes and chunkier sludge rock heft, Void of Sleep continue spiraling down increasingly melancholic, spacey and adventurous wormholes. Musically, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare is most similar to their previous outing, burrowing synth-steeped atmospherics and probing instrumental jams into their muscular sludge rock and progressive foundations.

Whereas heavier use of synths, tribal infused rhythms and hypnotic instrumental segments are ever prevalent across the album’s lengthy individual movements (barring a short introduction piece), Void of Sleep maintain shreds of the hooky, surging sludge rock fury of their previous work. “Misfortune Teller” harkens back to the versatile and heaving sludge blows and melodic sensibilities of their past endeavors to solid effect. It’s an aspect of their sound dialed back, with their more aggressive, heavier roots occasionally missed. Delving deeper into proggy, post-metal realms, Void of Sleep shift the balance towards slower-burning, more elusive songwriting traits and a sound that is less immediate, perhaps suffering slightly as a result. The album’s meandering beginnings, reflected on ambient opening movement, “Dark Gift,” and feeding into the drawn-out build-up on the otherwise impactful prog-sludge and propulsive dynamic shifts of “Omens from Nothingness,” make for a curiously sedate start. Void of Sleep strongly favor lengthy compositions, including four of the album’s seven songs extending beyond the eight-minute mark. This isn’t exactly new territory for Void of Sleep, this time unleashing their longest album to date.

The marathon four-song trek from “Lullaby to Woe” to closer “A Demon In My View” comprises a large chunk of the runtime. Despite a multitude of interesting ideas and stellar moments, the lengthy stretch is a mixed bag. “Lullaby to Woe” features nods to Tool and The Ocean, weaving pulsing rhythms and a progressive ebb and flow arrangement, fed through a burly, stoner prog filter. Killer hooks and addictive grooves reside, marred by a bloated, sample-laden mid-section impacting momentum, temporarily drifting from the song’s strengths and potency. Quality musicianship and surging climax aside, “From the Unborn Mother” loses focus and lacks a gratifying hook to nail the landing. Not without minor issues, the closing duo fare better overall. Following a creepy carnival-esque intro, “Phantoms of Nihil” takes a while to hit its stride, eventually showcasing its heavier wares, progressive strokes, and booming vocals. Burdo’s thick, accented vox may prove divisive, though remain an asset, juggling dual guitar duties while belting out impassioned, rugged cleans and occasional heavier screams and bellows. His versatile and emotive delivery makes a punchy impact, sounding rougher and more seasoned against the album’s bleaker tones. Though a few misguided moments and awkward vocal phrasing arise, it’s another solid performance.

Void of Sleep remains a gifted bunch of sludge-slinging progsters and underappreciated unit in the modern progressive metal and sludge scenes. The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare may lose some of the focus and addicting songwriting spark of their stronger efforts, yet features enough engaging elements, a gritty delivery, and subtly infectious hooks to stay afloat. An organic, punchy production job and excellent musicianship also shine. Unfortunately, pacing issues, ambition occasionally giving way to meandering misadventure, contribute to bloat and faltering cohesion to an otherwise intriguing batch of moody and darkly mysterious progressive tunes.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Aural Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AuralMusic #ItalianMetal #Oct25 #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveSludge #Review #Reviews #SludgeRock #TheAbyssIntoWhichWeAllHaveToStare #TheOcean #Tool #VoidOfSleep

Slow – Ab​î​mes I Review

By Kenstrosity

There was a time, not long ago, when I would’ve proclaimed myself an avid Slow fan. That was before I claimed the rights to cover the Belgian funeral doom duo’s ninth album, Ab​î​mes I. All this time, I had no idea Slow was so productive. In retrospect I don’t know why this surprised me, considering the prolific multi-instrumentalist Déhà is the project’s mastermind. Furthermore, I had no idea Slow spawned all the way back in 2007. My complete negligence regarding Slow’s origins and extensive back catalog qualifies me as the quintessential “false fan.” But rest assured, once I’m done with this write-up for Ab​î​mes I, I’m catching up post haste.

Funeral doom is one of metal’s dark arts. Incredibly difficult to write and play well, few artists dare to attempt. Moreover, selling fun-doom to the masses is often a futile effort, as its crawling pace and depressive tonality make for a difficult listen for many who are accustomed to breakneck speeds and blistering fury in their metal. However, if there was any act that could seal the deal, it’s Slow. Déhà’s flagship project reliably provides deep emotional charge, monumental scale, lush drama, and affecting musicality of similar caliber to genre stalwarts Convocation, Eye of Solitude, Clouds, and Un. Slow’s particular application of the style strikes at the heart, and Ab​î​mes I is no exception. More stripped down than the opulent VI – Dantalion yet more musical than V – Oceans, Slow’s first installment in their latest arc focuses on the metallic core of their sound more than ever. Propping Déhà’s bleeding heart lead guitars, tight drumming, and monstrous roars with Lore’s brobdingnagian bass on a well-deserved pedestal, Ab​î​mes I progresses Slow’s funereal doom forward with a subtle, but effective shift.

At a remarkably tight forty-four minutes across four songs, Ab​î​mes I is a testament to the power of editing, even in funeral doom. Song by song, Slow retains their trademarked sense of scale in full force, with its shortest track clocking in at eight-and-a-half minutes (“Abyss”), while its longest pushes a bit past fourteen (“Collapse”). However, Ab​î​mes I’s songwriting is so smooth and well-paced that it moves with the inexorable momentum of a tidal wave. Before I know it, the closing notes of the weeping “Collapse” ring with all of the affecting mournfulness my soul could ask for. Along the way, minimalist but clever bits of detailing penetrate deeply inside my memory—the awesome, and unexpectedly shreddy, solos in both “Barren” and “Abyss”; the incredibly catchy, roaring refrain of “I CLAWED MY WAY OUT” in “Abyss”; Déhà’s especially mammoth vocal performance and lush atmosphere in both “Implode” and “Collapse”—allowing each of these four death marches to stand out with their own respective voices, elevating a cohesive whole. As a result, not only is Ab​î​mes I unreasonably easy to spin on repeat for indeterminate amounts of time, but it is a joy to do so to despite the record’s woeful nature.

Ab​î​mes I offers much to the listener willing to give it the proper time to bloom, but it lacks the counterintuitive immediacy and devastating meteor impact of its predecessor—and its direct competitor this year, Convocation’s No Dawn for the Caliginous Night. Unfortunate as it is, there’s no avoiding the comparison and, in that light, Ab​î​mes I falls a bit short. Simple, minimalist songwriting works well for Slow more often than not, but in this case, the record’s restrained composition gives it a slightly underdeveloped feel. Compounding this issue, a few lead guitar lines in “Implode” and “Collapse” sound oddly similar to material found in Slow’s previous works. Of course, this may simply be a byproduct of Déhà’s frankly intimidating productivity diluting some of his trademark themes. Regardless, Ab​î​mes I could only be improved by massaging those areas which threaten self-plagiarism and including just a few more finishing details on the final product.

As an aside, I applaud Slow’s mixing and mastering of Ab​î​mes I. Proof that you can construct a disastrously heavy sound that’s impressively layered and pleasant to hear without unnecessary compression, this production may very well be one of the best I’ve heard all year. But I digress. The bottom line is that Ab​î​mes I is another rock-solid installment in a long-standing, reliable discography of quality funeral doom. It may not convert any newcomers, and it isn’t the top of its class this year, but it is still damn good and well worth my time.

Rating: Good!
DR: 13 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Aural Music
Websites: slowdooom.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/slowdooom
Releases Worldwide: December 8th, 2023

#2023 #30 #AbîMesI #AtmosphericMetal #AuralMusic #BelgianMetal #Clouds #Convocation #DeathDoom #Dec23 #Déhà #Doom #DoomMetal #EyeOfSolitude #FuneralDoom #Review #Reviews #Slow #Un

FULL FORCE FRIDAY:🆕January 27th Release #45🎧

DISMAL - Via Entis🇮🇹🔥*Physical

6th album from Turin, Italian Neoclassical/Gothic Rock outfit🔥

WHIPPED➡️https://songwhip.com/dismal/via-entis 🔥

@[email protected] #ViaEntis #NeoclassicalGothicRock #AuralMusic @[email protected] #FFFJan27 #KMäN