10 Incredible Metal Albums You May Have Missed In 2021
4. Breaking The Trauma Bond - Voices
Voices’ prodding of the boundaries of Extreme Metal has always been what set them apart from the pack, most noticeably on second album London, and that ear for a flourish in amongst the chaos is just as apparent on this latest release.
Whilst contemporaries are content to bloat the genre with endless variations upon shrieks and tremolo picking, Voices have always approached Black Metal with more artistry, opening a track like ’Absent Equilibrium’ with an impenetrable wall of drums before closing on sweet hearted balladry. The title track in particular would work perfectly fine with its barrage of chaos, but is elevated spectacularly by the layering of piano and shifts into glitchy electronic beats.
Vocalist Peter Benjamin’s command of the Metal spectrum from the piercing Black Metal howl to the tenderness of melody is on full display throughout, most noticeably on ‘Kaleidoscope of Thorns’, featuring possibly the most whiplash inducing turn from clean to harsh vocals felt this decade. Whilst the rest of the band is equally on staggering form, it’s drummer David Gray who truly shines, proving himself to be one of the most underrated players in the scene.
There is a profound sense of grandeur which permeates every track on this album, as if each is a hymn to an absent God, delivered with all the emotional honesty and immediate urgency such an act entails. Whilst not quite living up to the high bar set by London, this album nevertheless reaffirms Voices’ place as one of the most inventive bands in the UKBM scene.
Listen To: Kaleidoscope of Thorns