Untervoid are a black metal band from Poland and this is their debut album.
Brought to us by current/ex-members of bands such as Hate, Redemptor, and Thaw, Parasite contains 40 minutes of black metal of a sort that took me by surprise. Untervoid are not your typical black metal act it seems.
Parasite is an album that’s unexpectedly rich in texture, detail, and variety. It has a solid base of black metal, but expresses this via a surprisingly multifaceted approach. The songs each have a flavour of their own within this, making for an album that flows well and delivers an engaging experience throughout.
Each of the tracks differentiates itself from the others, while also contributing holistically to an album that feels well-rounded. Different paces, feelings, and moods are presented to us, but within this there’s also a wealth of ideas to pick through. There are thick blackened grooves and intricate riffs, and sometimes a black ‘n’ roll influence. We get some ripping melodies and emotive solos, but also introspective scene-setting and worldbuilding. There are touches of dissonance, along with avant-garde expressions that allow the band to venture beyond the boundaries of black metal’s usual borders. The vocals are as richly delivered as the music, combining cleans, roars, and screams of a few different forms across the tracks. Oh, there’s a saxophone too. It all succeeds in adding to the feeling of a diverse record that’s been thought about a great deal.
Parasite exceeds expectations with its creativity. Untervoid do not fall in line with the blackened hordes, but rather they forge their own path from the bones of what came before them. Although Parasite can be viewed as a modern black metal record, it also shares DNA with the inventive end of the second wave era, when bands were increasingly pushing themselves beyond what black metal was at the time. Parasite reminds me of this era more than any other.
Untervoid have impressed. I selected this promo to listen to rather randomly, intrigued by the artwork and a brief scan of the promo blurb. When I listened to it, I got more than I bargained for, and I am very happy because of this. Parasite is very, very good, and I highly recommend that you check it out as soon as you can.
Wonderbox Metal 