Fresh off a retread of Karma To Burn’s storied/illustrious discography and everything I hear after seems to remind me of them. Like Louisiana’s Forming The Void who are miles beyond anything that instrumental trio concocted (Not a knock on K2B at all, they’re just living in a Desert Rawk realm all their own) but whose vocalist shares some similarities with onetime K2B collaborator Daniel Davies (Also of John Carpenter’s band and Year Long Disaster among others) as well as Downer’s J. Scott.
But I digress!
If you like your Rawk to sound HUGE! Monolithic! Ominous! Ethereal! Mystical! All the adjectives!!! Then Forming The Void is your new favorite band and opener “Sage” might as well be your new national anthem as it hits all those buttons phenomenally. “Onward Through The Haze” peels back one of many layers here and switches between a proper riff throttling and a masterfully crafted mid-tempo heartstring-yanking ballad.
“Trace The Omen” has these epic Middle Eastern-tinged moments as this massive ditty sets a course a la Course Of Empire toward Proggy Rawk greatness, barely scratching the surface until exploding in a colossal wall of sound three minutes in to kneel at the altar of the almighty Doom! Vocalist/guitarist James Marshall has one of those voices that is so utterly familiar yet wholly unique with a decadent quality while Shadi Omar Al-Khansa’s guitars accent those vocals with lines that scream one moment while at others, these broad strokes he creates form a ginormous sonic fortress.
After a short contrasting flamenco line to start it all off, “Manifest” is a righteous stomp from start to finish while sister track, “Electric Hive”, mirrors the magic as drummer Thomas Colley and bassist Thorn Letulle lock horns to create this ferocious humming drone that serves as the foundation when Al-Khansa’s soaring guitar lines are matched in scope by Marshall’s delivery later within the track.
“Ancient Satellite” is the one that kinda brings it all together by capturing the fuzzed out fury of previous tracks with a brooding murmur that truly sings leading into the aptly titled album concluding “The Ending Cometh” which is a massive dirge that lurches on for a sobering span of time and consumes all in its’ path with lumbering riffs, anthemic solos, and thunderous drumming.
Reverie is out on May 8th through Ripple Music. Your pre-ordered copy awaits in a variety of versions by clicking here, here or here. For the latest on Forming The Void, including the latest info on live performances in the future, head here, here or here.