What I'll Leave Behind

Melbourne metalcore act Void Of Vision continue to showcase new textures and contrasts on their fourth album. Bright electronic motifs open or close several songs here, shedding melodic light on the thrashing attack that’s always just around the corner. The aptly titled “Supernova” is dense enough to threaten sensory overload, while the programmed hook on “Gamma Knife” radiates dark portent. Vocalist Jack Bergin may possess a scathing scream, but he also slows down and adds distortion to his delivery on the Nine Inch Nails-esque “Neurotic” before hammering home the snide refrain “I am just like you” as the music’s harsh throb intensifies. Bergin has spoken out about losing friends to suicide and addressing his own mental health issues in recent years, and it’s all too clear to hear how much emotion he’s investing in his vocals and lyrics alike. That’s especially true of the elegiac “Beautiful Things”, during which he’s more openly vulnerable than anywhere else on the album. Yet, on the following “Empty”, Bergin returns to a full-throated roar as the track lurches into well-deserved catharsis. When it comes to capturing the sheer urgency and tumult of daily life, Void Of Vision go all the way in.