Proof of Existence
Void of Hope
From Bandcamp, “The horrors of reality are the proof of your existence, and they will be brought to you via Avantgarde Music on January 31st, 2025. VOID OF HOPE is a Finnish black metal trio born during a recording session. The whole album was composed and recorded in five days in the studio with -30°, -35° outside and in complete darkness for most of the day. It can be a place or a state of mind, and their debut album, “Proof of Existence,” is a journey through mental health and depression, the outcome of which may be triumph or giving up. They are not an anonymous band, yet they do not consider their identities relevant, as regardless of what names are printed in the album, the music is all that matters.”
The album has six songs, and “Gift of Life” is first. It has a dark, rich, and full sound of carefully controlled madness out of the gate. The vocals are anguished screams, and they paint a picture of eternal fire, Hell, and damnation. The title track is equally as nasty, filthy, depressive, and torturous. The riffs create the underlying tension and aggression, and the vocals shriek over top of them like a soaring banshee. “The Hollow Hymn” is an 11-minute opus, and gives the band plenty of time to explore the darker side of human existence. The opening tones speak of woe, and emptiness, and the longer the song goes, the worse it makes you feel. The piano notes also bring a black cloud of darkness to the composition.
“Inner Peace” is a short diversion to perhaps give the listener a chance to lift the massive weight of the previous songs off their shoulders, consisting of piano and spoken words. “T.E.T.L.” is a much angrier song, turning the tables from despair to rage, but despair hangs on as well. The difference between the two can be difficult to pinpoint, as they are often interchangeable, and you will get both here in equal doses. “Decaying Years” closes the album, and it casts an ugly shadow on one’s final years. Solemn piano notes carry the song forward, and a bit of a marching beat, but it’s like a march to your final destination, or, death. This album was dreadfully depressing, and it seemed to hit on the things that you thought you had buried deep inside. It pulled them up to the surface, and dangled them in front of your face.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Proof of Existence" Track-listing:
1. Gift of Life
2. Proof of Existence
3. The Hollow Hymn
4. Inner Peace
5. T.E.T.L.
6. Decaying Years
Void of Hope Lineup:
Unknown
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