Birmingham UK. The birthplace of Heavy Metal. The city and surrounding areas producing fine acts like BLACK SABBATH, NAPALM DEATH, JUDAS PRIEST and half of LED ZEPPELIN. With such a fine pedigree and musical history we can safely assume that still to this day the area will still produce high quality bands to this day.

We come to VOIDLURKER a three-piece doom band from the Mecca of Heavy Metal. With their demo receiving a positive reception in 2018 they have moved onto releasing their first EP "Industrial Nightmare" in January 2020. The 4 track EP is a strong showing with a revisited and remastered track from their debut demo. The artwork is a hat tip to the title. With a city skyline being enshrouded in a sort of discoloured fog/smog that creates a distressing image. Perfectly capturing this "Industrial Nightmare". Well done to the artist Kieran Scott of Brutulz Art

The opening titular track "Industrial Nightmare" is a no fuss classic doom track. With long open ended riffs and chords that create a sense of foreboding and distress. Brad Thomas' vocals are the perfect compliment to the musical lines throughout the song. "Jeffrey Doomer" is once again a heavy track that one just trudges through. With the imagery of yourself struggling moving through your day being created by the musical lines. The 6 minute track is driven forwards by Jack Bourne and his pounding rhythms behind the drums.

"Rotten Seed" is another stereotypical 8-minute epic. We are again shown the bands musical skills, with the archetypical heavy, sludgy riffs that keep beating away at you. We are also treated to a couple of upbeat breakdowns that, to me, are a bit of a welcome break to the slow, driving beats and riffs that are so common to Doom. Finally we come to the revisited track from the EP. "Bitchcraft and Misery". It is a slightly more upbeat track. However it is another great example of VOIDLURKER's prowess on the Doom Metal scene. They have created a plethora of great examples of the genre.

Overall I would say that this is a good example of a Doom Metal EP. If they take their time to further develop their sound then any future offerings can only be as good, if not even better. I'm sure that VOIDLURKER will continue to pay homage to the Heavy Metal roots of their hometown. A special mention must go to someone, in every group, who is often underrated for their efforts. The depth that Andrew Rennie adds to the group with the bass is second to none, the Doom Metal genre relies heavily on their bassists and they always deliver, adding meat to the bones of their tracks.