Voices Of Decay – ‘Overcome’ Album Review

Voices of decay play METAL loud, proud and with a ton of aggression and commitment; so much so that it belies the fact that this is an act that has been together since 1997 and who have suffered from the vagaries of the music industry more than most. Hailing from South Tyrol in Italy, this is the band’s first full-length release for Casket Music, with whom they signed in 2011 after years in the wilderness hunting for a label and it shows that the time and effort the members of the band have put in have paid off because this is a glorious slice of battle hardened death metal which brims over with passion and energy.

Opening with creepy atmospherics which rapidly give rise to the vicious double-kick-assault of ‘dear mortal man’, the band have incorporated a strong symphonic sound into their music that contrasts nicely with the dirty death metal riffs that pepper the main verses of the track. Vocals from Menz are suitably aggressive although there is notably more confidence projected on the brutal vocals than on the clean backing vocals on the chorus whilst some of the screams would happily give Randy Blythe a run for his money. Special mention must surely also go to Christoph for his pounding performance on drums but in truth the whole band deserve credit for their tight, proficient displays of musicianship which nicely augment their strong song-writing skills. ‘Superficial’ takes the momentum gained by the first track and runs with it, with the band opting for a powerful mid-tempo groove, all crushing drums and pinched harmonics set to the creepy atmospherics of the synths, effortlessly recalling the crushing might of Kataklysm albeit with a greater melodic bent than that band have typically offered. Similarly impressive is the tremolo-soaked opening of ‘rising tide’ which then gives way to a slow, blackened monologue that sounds completely like anything else on offer here. Returning to the more splenetic energy of the first two tracks, ‘who’ has a massive fear factory-esque stomp with the bass drum pounding away hard enough to cause cement foundations to crumble at high volumes and inspiring a near-impossible-to-resist urge to head bang although the melodic chorus is rather less welcome as it veers uncomfortably close to the staid formalism of metal-core. The same cannot be said of the hulking ‘finger on the trigger’ which opens on an overwhelming tide of double-kick drums and wall-of-guitar approach which is rather akin to standing in front of a fast-approaching steamroller.

Proving to be aptly-named, ‘energy’ is another crushing beast which makes great use of layers of guitar to weave a subtle yet insistent melody into the fabric of the track. ‘The picture’ confuses by opening with a synth part that sounds like a predictable single-style track is about to be unleashed only for the extended atmospheric intro to morph into something rather heavier and less expected, turning out to be one of the best tracks on offer here with a killer central riff thudding away like a baseball bat on flesh. Genrally more obnoxious is the abrasive blast of ‘higher faster further’ which sees the band notch up the speed and rampant aggression for a mosh-pit friendly anthem which will undoubtedly get fans moving in ecstatic wonder, particularly when the riffs settle into the chugging, memorable chorus which demands to be screamed in unison by a horde of black-clad metal fans. It is here that you realise that Voices of Decay are those very fans, held in thrall to the power of metal and of their own music  – a love of playing fast and hard which is transmitted through every raging chord and unfettered scream and which makes the experience of listening to the album that much more enjoyable. ‘Kings’ is no less brutal, although it reverts to a slower, chugging tempo that actually recalls older In Flames with the only thing being missing being a really killer solo to augment the bridge. ‘Time is running out’(no, not a Muse cover) is as suitably enraged as the subject matter might imply while ‘innocence’ is a strangely atmospheric instrumental that sounds like the closing credits of an eighties action movie and which brings things to a suitably epic close.

Overall ‘overcome’ is a strong effort that delves into the many death metal acts and styles that have risen and fallen over the years to craft an album that is often surprising and nearly always exciting. There are strong moments of bluster where the band attempt to break the speed barrier with their thrashing and brutal breakdowns, bouts of melody and elements of throat-ripping intensity all of which combine to make a memorable listening experience. While there are moments that grate – the melodic vocals of ‘who’ for example, these are heavily outweighed by the genuinely thrilling moments where the band’s excitement just to be playing shines through and the album is a compelling journey that you can’t help but want to tag along for. Clearly an act to watch, Voices of decay rock, check them out.