Starting with ominous pan pipe-like notes dragging and establishing an eerie and macabre atmosphere, first impressions were positive. Some of the best Black Metal knows that creating an atmosphere or "vibe" is of paramount importance. This creates a context for the music that is to follow, and can be the difference between disorganized noise and organised chaos. Then all of a sudden the song truthfully begins, and all good faith quickly wilts and fades. "Where Stars Forever Die" attempts to break out in full force, but the actual result is painfully lackluster. Upon my first listen, I even had to stop the track to try and see if there was something wrong with my audio-setup. When guitars and drums kick in, instead of a forceful cacophony, and a tactical audio barrage upon the listener, we are greeted by instruments that legitimately sound as if someone is just rustling a paper bag next to a microphone. No impact. No rhythm. No melody. Just white noise. This for me is the greatest problem with this record. Most non-Metal fans will label Metal as just being 'noise', but never has that been more true than with this record.

The ill-defined static that supposedly is detailed instrumentation, is so removed from anything thing musical, that it almost feels as if I have been presented with a joke I simply don't understand. As well as this, I'm not even sure whether the problems here are with the writing, the production or both! The sheer repetitive slog through barely different soundscapes of white noise becomes so monotonous that it is almost entrancing. The lines between the songwriting and the production begin to blur. How exactly is someone to critique music that barely holds any resemblance to music at all?

This is not to say that there is no positive to this release. With better production and/or music, the vocals could genuinely be a positive foundation. With a perfect amount of creepiness to the timbre of the voice, the vocals feel suitable and characterful, making the listening experience much more engaging. Thankfully, unlike so many modern Black Metal bands, the vocals never resort to cheesy, impressions of "Scooby-Doo" villains. As well as this, the problems with production seem limited to just the guitars and drums. 2nd track "Black Wormhole" is an intriguing soundscape that I can imagine being a very effective score to a film scene. However, this track lasts 6 minutes and has no narrative line or real progression. Due to this it feels like a pointless and wasted 6 minutes unfortunately. The thing with soundscaping like this is that, the atmosphere created may be excellent, but with no through line, it is unengaging and comes across as a pointless waste of time. This is why I suggest that this would be a fitting score for a film. The atmosphere created is excellent, and the addition of a visual narrative, would stop the audio from feeling pointless.

I wish I could have more to say and direct with NAMELESS VOID, but each of the two main tracks on this record blend in to each other, and the transitional track stands as blank space. As said before, the record ends up feeling like static noise on repeat, more than a thoughtful composition. Obviously there are moments of intrigue, with instrumental sections throughout the songs, but listening to 14 minute long songs of ill-defined, dull featured noise is simply not pleasing in anyway. If Nameless Void improve with their production, I could see myself warming to them, but this record is unfortunately a disorganized mess.