VOIDS is a Hardcore/Melodic Hardcore quartet formed in Hagerstown, Maryland, USA, in 2015, from the ashes of a band called FROM FAR AWAY. From their Facebook page, "Our message as a band revolves around the addictions that affect the lives of many in a negative way. We want people to turn towards our music as a healthy way to cope with the problems they are having with their lives; rather than ones that can destroy someone's personal life and the ones around them." Debut album "No Character, No Crown" contains ten tracks. Let's get down to the best moments. "Dolores" leads off the assault. From the start, the heavy accented rhythms rattle you, along with vocals that are both ridiculously low and guttural at times, and higher ranged screams at others. The lower ranged utterances could push the sound close to the Deathcore genre, but the clean vocals and melody in the chorus help to temper that. "Idols" is a great track. It combines a fierce attack from the vocals and guitar note strikes with a drawn out chorus featuring legato clean vocal notes.

"Parallel" is perhaps even deeper, wider, and more destructive in the holes it creates from the punishing sound hitting your eardrums. Brutal breakdowns make for an active pit experience live, and I quite like the lead guitar breaks. "1996" probably has some meaning to the band in terms of the number or year, but I am not sure what it is. The chilling sterility of the guitars is offset by the infuriating emotions from the vocals. "Unmasked" has a rattling intensity from some Djent type guitar rhythms. They push a little melody in the chorus but the merciless and savage sound prevails. "Déjà vu" is another weighted and scorching track, with some variated guitar work...palm mutes, galloping riffs and string scrapes...and an outstanding performance from Boward on drums. He seems to have the sense to mitigate his obvious skills in favor of the song structure as a whole, but has excellent timing and feel for what the song needs.

"Eris" closes the album. Vocal laments abound and the song breathes a little bit more. Some of the hated and passion is tempered by passages of melody, but it remains a pretty firm and rigid sound. I think the short song titles on "No Character, No Crown" fit well with the album's "no frills" approach to the Metalcore/Melodic Hardcore genre. They remind me a bit of WAGE WAR in this regard, although without the name recognition, at the moment. The focus is a little less on the sparkly melodies and sometimes forced clean vocal harmonies that was the Metalcore of the past, and more on tough, tight rhythms, and a pummeling bottom end, with vocals that are versatile in several areas. For a debut effort, the band seems to have all of the ingredients for a bright future.