One Listen Review
1st Listen 4 Jun 26
Reviewed 5 June26
Dead Void – Cranial Devastation
Dark Descent Records / Me Saco Un Ojo
Released 5 Jun 26
Copenhagen death/doom duo, Dead Void, return with album number 2, Cranial Devastation. This is 4 years on from their well-received debut ‘Volatile Forms’.
A mere 5 songs long, it clocks in at a welcoming 34 ½ minutes. I say welcoming, as Cranial Devastation is claustrophobic, cloying listen. It has a truly magnificently filthy production that leaves you needing a shower after the listen. This is atmospheric music that not all bands manage to achieve.
Opening track, ‘Regurgitation of Ancient Manifest’ begins with deep, booming bass-runs and deliberately fuzzy riff and a growled vocal ripped from the mighty Satan himself. Then, almost half-way through, it switches pace, forgoing the doom, incorporating an almost grind-style solo. It is a track that captures your soul and excites you for the others.
It is followed by ‘Isolation’s Hold’, and it is here that the first doubts begin. The slow, repetitive riff is hypnotising, but the guitar-tone is not heavy enough for my taste. The
death/doom genre is difficult to find a balance and here Dead Void don’t quite achieve it. The doom riff is fuzzy and filthy, but it doesn’t bring the heavy, and that lets the track down, especially in light of the superb drumming throughout.
‘Phantosmial Stench of Decay’ attempts to drag the album back, with a brutal vocal performance and a better tone for the doom sections. It flows nicely and gets the head bobbing, if not quite nodding, along. The title track, ‘Cranial Devastation’ benefits from its almost 10 minute run-time as it allows Dead Void to cram a number of ideas into the song. Key to this is the excellent vocals that are absolutely spewed out, projectile vomiting their way into your wary aural cavities. Here, the duo don’t fuck about. Different pacing gives light and shade, and it is a superb addition to the album.
Album closer, ‘Jeg Kan Ikke Flygte Fra Mig Selv’ (Danish for I can’t run away from myself, apparently) is a cover. I’ve not heard the original myself, and I have no desire to find it, but again, the riff lacks the heavy. Perhaps it is because they have adapted it to their death/doom sound, but it is indicative of the band maybe just missing the mark here.
Cranial Devastation is just not heavy enough. Yes, it is good riffs that promise to bring the heavy, but for my ears, it falls short. Dead Void have a lot of promise. A majority of the album is interesting, and it does capture your attention, but little thinks irk at the back of your mind. This ultimately leads to subtle disappointment, one you might not pick up on straight away, but it will lurk at the back of your mind and build.
The DevilsHorns 
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