Literally if you like extreme music and don’t like Death Metal at this point I have to ask the question, why? It’s so broad, perhaps broader than any other genre, to the point where two people can be avid fans and yet totally dissimilar. Not to mention the infighting between Tech fans and worshippers of the old school/ modern old school. It’s very weird, and quite humorous if you sit in both camps much like myself. Although if you’re not keen on Deathcore then I can kind of understand.

Today we’re looking into a band that surely has a little something for any extreme music fan. The band is of course VoidCeremony, a Californian quartet featuring members of most notably Ascended Dead. The band play an all encompassing brand of Progressive Blackened Death Metal (can’t get much trver than that). The band have released a slew of EPs and worked their way up the label ladder from Blood Harvest to their current label 20 Buck Spin, both very reputable labels. The 2020 release via the latter is the band’s debut full length Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel, but is it as epic as the name suggests?

The opening riffs of Desiccated Whispers instantly draw us in and transfigure into thick gruelling nigh on BDM/ Slam displays of sonic terror. Vocally the album comes across as very traditional, guttural but not completely devoid of pronunciation. The bass comes to the forefront at points in an almost Cynic/ Tech Death fashion, a nice touch that makes the release different from its peers. Just as you start to think where are the Blackened notions in comes Sacrosanct Delusions which is rife with dark brooding instrumentation that is very melodic in nature. Perhaps the albums biggest feature is the longest track Empty, Grand Majesty (Cyclical Descent Of Causality). The song brings together the band’s entire ethos, Progressive build ups, powerful melodies taken from both Black and Death Metal ideology and of course sheer speed and Extreme Metal ferocity.

As we find ourselves in the later part of the album we put our ears to Binded To Unusual Existence. This track is heavy on the Prog notions with lots of Technical riffs and some pretty outstanding drum patterns. I also commend the band for making an instrumental track that is engaging and no deviation from their style. That said the vocals are welcomed back in Abandoned Reality which shares a similar sound to its predecessor. The concluding song Solemn Reflections Of The Void doesn’t really add much to the album other than it being another decent song.

Overall I would say that this album is a perfect length for what it is. By the final track the listener is likely to start losing a bit of interest. Not because it’s bad but simply because there is little of anything new to offer. As a firm Death Metal fan I thoroughly enjoyed this record and I’d urge fans of the Death Metal underground to look into VoidCeremony. It can certainly be said that the band is trying something different and treading some unique ground. Big, powerful, epic and trve, it’s got a little something for everyone.

(8/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/VoidCeremony

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/entropic-reflections-continuum-dimensional-unravel