A collective of renowned musicians from the west coast of Norway have brought to life a new sonic entity, creating music on the crossroads of the band members’ individual paths. Whispering Void is the name they gave themselves. Nordic Ambient Rock is what their label Prophecy Productions calls the product of their efforts. The latter tag should give the experienced reader of music reviews some idea of the band’s sound, and for those who find the genre descriptions too general, the band name can provide further clues: On first listen, the music might seem soft as a whisper, but when thoroughly examined it provides an entrance to a vast, dark and bottomless space.

The contemplative project had its beginnings with guitarist Ronny Stavestrand of black metal act Trelldom who wanted to create something different, something off the beaten paths. He persuaded his former bandmate Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal (Gorgoroth, Gaahls Wyrd) to join him in his attempt, and soon, the vocal section was further expanded to include Wardruna vocalist Lindy-Fay Hella. The quartet was made perfect with drummer Iver Sandøy (Enslaved) who also took responsibility for bass and keyboards.

The seven tracks of Whispering Void’s debut album At the Sound of the Heart bring autumnal music, music for a rainy day, music for reminiscing about the past and the present. You don’t need to understand the lyrics to hear the stories of complicated, winding paths that the guitars in combination with Gaahl’s sombre voice and Lindy-Fay Hella’s vocalisations tell. Both vocalists are exceptional and together exceptionally compatible. The instrumental music impressively joins strands ranging from ambient, psychedelic prog and rock to metal and dark folk, but it is the vocals that provide additional depths and width. On one track, Gaahl’s contributions take the quality of Gregorian chanting, making the music thus seemingly span hundreds of years. On another track, children’s playground chatter combined with Lindy-Fay Hella’s ghost-like callings from beyond and Gaahl’s whispers and moans creates the impression of multiple strands of time happening all at once, or of life ranging from the joys of childhood to the regrets of death.

The co-existence of an immaterial past with a material present is also the subject of the pre-released video to the track Vi Finnes (We Exist). An excellent example of the unobtrusive sonic beauty to be encountered on At the Sound of the Heart and my favourite track on the album.

At a time of the year when many cultures prepare to commemorate their dead Whispering Void’s debut album At the Sound of the Heart will give you music that is emotional and enchanting, but also open about the very real horrors of existence. Beautiful and profound.

(8/10 Slavica)

https://www.facebook.com/whisperingvoidband

https://whisperingvoid.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-sound-of-the-heart