Album/EP

Void Of Vision - CHRONICLES III: UNDERWORLD (EP Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Nov 10, 2022

7 min read

Void Of Vision - CHRONICLES III: UNDERWORLD
Released: November 11, 2022

Lineup

Jack Bergin // Vocals
James McKendrick // Guitar & Vocals
Mitch Farley // Guitar
George Murphy // Drums

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They say in life the best surprises are always saved for last, but is that the case with Void Of Vision's third and final offering in their CHRONICLES EP series? The short and sweet release drop kickstarted back in October 2021 with the initial EP LUST, before following it up with their ever-impressive CHRONICLES II: HEAVEN in April this year - Now, the finale UNDERWORLD has surprise dropped and let's jump in to see what they've done with these three tunes!

The latest single 'HELL HELL HELL' brings us in and we stated in our initial article upon the track's release, the band have continued honing in on the synth-driven bassy undertones with frontman Jack Bergin adopting a radio rock-esque vocal performance surrounded by an EDM-infused background soundtrack. The breakdown/beatdown is chunky and indicates a sound the band have been working towards since their initial first EP dropped, as Jack explained:

“HELL HELL HELL is a brand new world of Void Of Vision that has definitely been hinted at or given a nod in previous work. But this is where we truly get to showcase our own raw and explicit take on it. It’s been so insanely fulfilling to create, feeling so foreign yet strangely just as much at home within our discography alongside all our other works"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8wScahx0dU

That description further expands your hindsight into this new VoV era as 'ASMR' begins and immediately we're met with an almost 80s synthwave club beat taking us up to another alluring Bergin performance and suddenly, all that leather he's been wearing on stage during their recent shows makes sense. It's sexy. Like, not even joking, it's sexy as fuck and completely removed from anything you know and love from this band's back catalogue. There's more emphasis on the synth/EDM rave sounds, more so then guitars and drums, and it's got me wondering how they're going to deliver this on their upcoming regional run of shows alongside The Beautiful Monument, and into the future when they return to their bigger stages.

Much like Bring Me The Horizon and Northlane's venture into EDM territory (and their significantly changed sets and performances), we are going to see Void Of Vision evolve too and I can already envision the high-beaming LED lights and strobes that will take their shows from typical 'core gig, to enhanced cross-genre musical experiences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEW4fvIpCXA

'NEUE SICHT' also carries the EDM undertones with it, but we're met with Jack's raspy screams in what I am going to call a truly "Underworld" experience. It is completely unknown for what we expected from this band, however, given that they've been slowly transitioning from their metalcore roots to this new heavy/EDM sound, it's not an unexpected "GOT YA" moment, but more so a listening experience that we all could tell was coming - had we been listening from the start. While I wish it was a little longer (and that being my only criticism), I feel it wraps up their experiment nicely and shows the pros of opting for shorter, punchier EPs over full-length albums - a debate that is currently dividing the heavy music scene around the world.

Some bands take many years to evolve from their original signature sound to something bigger than ever imagined, but Void of Vision have managed to compress the entire experience in just over 12 months and the end results in no way shape or form sound rushed or forced. It's been a gradual progression into newfound territory, unlike any of their peers, and I cannot wait to go back to where it all began, line up the EPs from start to finish and revisit the journey through LUST, HEAVEN and now UNDERWORLD.

The obvious next question is - WHEN WILL THESE CHRONICLES BE RELEASED ON VINYL!?!?

Update: it's here!