Album Review: Aphonic Threnody – The All Consuming Void (Self Released)

The fourth album from Aphonic Threnody brings a new chapter and direction for the band. For the first time, the band has live drums and a completely new direction in terms of production. This will be the first-time founder, Riccardo Veronese and new guitarist Justin Buller feature together. Daniel Neagoe (of Clouds) lends his mighty vocals whilst Val Atra Niteris (of Frowning) completes the line up on drums. The All Consuming Void is made up of 5 tracks and over 60 minutes of pure Funeral/Death Doom.

Summing up the album Daniel provided a brief description of his thoughts:

There is darkness everywhere, in the serenity of our thoughts, deep encompassed into our very beings, on the endless canvas of our dreams. There is darkness inside the soil beneath our feet and in the heavens above us. A fad, tenebrous gloom enshrouded in suffering and misc., in the coming of time to pass once more guiltless and ignorant. There is a void, all-consuming and ruthless, an emptiness which expands to the very core of our souls, imploding, thundering and monstrous. An impending prophecy that stands the sands of time.

Restless, oblivious to humanity, like a disfigured deity who casts a one last curse upon the world whence it came from. A mutilated and distorted rendering of what seemed to be the honesty of sentiments, the clad in ashes grey, the veil of sorrow and pain. A room filled with the stench of disgust and greed, breeding a venomous drive to eradicate and subjugate all positivity in the world. That is what we are. A void, consuming until there is nothing left. A void taking the shape and form of eternity, for eternity’s dust has already settled over our atrocity: life.

The All Consuming Void will be released on April 23rd 2021.

This is not our first dalliance with Aphonic Threnody’s brand of ultra funeral and death-infused doom. We reviewed their previous album, The Great Hatred in October of 2020 and called it one of the best doom releases of the year. This follow up sees the band enter brand new territory and the end result is, once again, a doom release that must be heard by all fans of the heavy genres.

Five tracks long but over 60 minutes of relentless and bone-crunching heaviness, The All Consuming Void is an incredibly apt title. It consumes. It is the void. You’re falling into it and the walls are slowly closing in. Crushing the life out of you slowly but surely. It’s painful to listen too but there’s no escaping its suffocating grasp.

Filthy funeral doom, covered in sticky molasses meaning everything moves at a crawl. The drawn out atmospheric horror is led by the guitars. Punctuated by the growling and guttural vocals with the exclamation mark coming from the crashing of the drum beats. There’s very little variation and very little lift, this is depressing doom to revel in. Even if occasional melodic moments do exist, they only heighten the despondency.

Don’t let that make you think for a second that the gargantuan weight is not enjoyable because it is. Aphonic Threnody have pulled another blinder here. The rich detail is what captivates, the cleaner sound overall with the heightened atmosphere, the live drumming and sparingly used vocals combine to make something truly outstanding.

Aphonic Threnody – The All Consuming Void Full Track Listing:

1. Restless
2. Chapel of the Dead
3. Until I Am Empty
4. Chamber of Parasites
5. The Crossing

Links

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