Eroded Corridors of Unbeing

Eroded Corridors of Unbeing by Spectral Voice is a phenomenal album. That’s it. That’s all I would need to write and that would be it. But that would be rather boring, wouldn’t it? Let’s dive into what makes this album as good as it is.

Death-doom as a genre is generally overlooked compared to its contemporaries, often appealing more to the doomier side of the metal community. I personally rarely see death-doom spoken in any manner other than dismissive, though I would implore you to not set aside this album were it to come into your hands, as Spectral Voice, a legendary figure in the death-doom space have crafted a haunting masterpiece that is Eroded Corridors of Unbeing - an experience crafted expressly to unnerve the listener in their melancholic soundscapes.

Where better to start than the first track, “Thresholds Beyond”? The introduction perfectly encapsulates the rest of the album; slow, ethereal riffs drenched in sorrow while the vocals growl with intimidation as well as a tinge of ferocity, mixing in elements of cosmic horror. And of course there’s the grand and dissonant “Visions of Psychic Dismemberment”, bringing to mind visions of lurking beasts draped in shadow, stalking their prey from the void beyond. My favorite track of all, “Terminal Exhalation”, is like an anthem to the cosmos - a song that pulls no punches and brings true meaning to the word emptiness, when you listen to this track you will be pulled into an inescapable void, every riff and growl conveys the true terror of the universe itself and how truly empty it is. That’s the word that defines this album’s greatest strength, emptiness. you will feel alone, like you’re floating in the void of space, trapped in an inescapable void as shadows creep in from every angle.

In conclusion, Eroded Corridors of Unbeing by Spectral Voice is a legendary album that I implore you to check out for yourself. Not a single moment goes wasted on this album, every second is critical. To listen to this album is to stare into the gaping maw of the void itself, and not many come back unchanged.

Highlights: “Terminal Exhalation”, “Visions of Psychic Dismemberment”, “Lurking Gloom”

The spectacular success of "Starspawn" made 3/4 of Blood Incantation decide to...debut again, but under a different name! Yes, Spectral Voice is the second band with Morris Kolontyrsky, Paul Riedl (this time on the guitar only) and Jeff Barrett, and which differs - apart from the music itself - of course - drummers - here in the person of Eli Wendler, including vocals. But like the group inspired by Anunnaki mythology, it soon became clear that there was much to look forward to; especially after such promising demos (and splits). Spectral Voice's debut album entitled "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" immediately jumped into the top of the most exciting releases in the extreme from 2017.

However, it should be added, that this is not completely unfounded. Well, "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" is a brilliantly played death/doom, with a large dose of brutality (sometimes in the Morbid Angel type), but - above all - with powerful slow patterns and a climate full of emptiness, reminiscent of the cult Disembowelment. Seriously, all these influences of Australians (and, in the background, Americans!) were given with right reasoning, logically fitting them into other structures, without too intrusive references. And since Disembowelment is mentioned so much in the context of Spectral Voice, the music on "Eroded..." differs: in the number of funeral paces (there is clearly less depressing style), climate (more in the direction of sci-fi), vocals (less mad, but suggestive associations with recordings from the abyss), dynamics (here we return to the issue of Morbid Angel patterns), production (warmer and closer - who would have guessed! - Blood Incantation) and non-metal additions responsible for the atmosphere (i.e. noise-sounding ambients). In the vast majority, however, it's a plus for the Americans from Denver - after all, who needs boring copy from Disembowelment? It's worth at least mentioning at how great and tastefully thought-out the music is in "Visions Of Psychic Dismemberment", "Thresholds Beyond" or "Dissolution". All of them (as well as those not mentioned) have the same heaviness, are very diverse and, best of all, they don't mind their long duration at all. The shortcoming of "Eroded..." actually has only one, in addition it does not disturb - in general - a very positive reception of the album. Well, it's about the aforementioned ambients, whose buzzing character in the outros of most compositions has been slightly overdone. With a bit more feel, there will be a maximum rating!

For this reason, it can be seen that it's possible to debut again with a bang. Because although in the case of Spectral Voice, Paul Riedl's band had a little easier to make hype. The interest in "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" was not taken out of nowhere. Under a different name and a lot of hype related to Blood Incantation, they were able to release a piece of unique and thrilling music for hours. Well, in my humble opinion, from this risky move they managed to create an album that suits me better than Blood Incantation itself!

Originally on A bit of subjectivism...in metal

Death and doom metal are the two genres that when combined can create some of the gloomiest, most ethereal sounding atmospheres in all of metal. The great diSEMBOWELMENT is a shining example of how dynamic the combination can be, as well as how truly desolate it can sound. Their landmark album in 1993 set the bar as far as I'm concerned, and very few bands come close to achieving such monumental music. One of the bands that does justice to the sound is Denver's Spectral Voice, and their debut album "Eroded Corridors of Unbeing" is by far one of the finest examples of the genre in modern times.

Spectral Voice formed in 2012, breaking out with their 2015 demo in addition to a couple split 7 inches before unleashing their debut album in 2017. In the three years since has come out, I've yet to get bored of it. For its genre, the five songs clocking in at 45 minutes is lean, but I feel they greatly benefit by not overplaying their hand. That being said, the second track is 14.5 minutes, so there's no shortage of embellishment here.

Quite honestly, it's no surprise that this album is great, considering 3 of the members are also in Blood Incantation. The songwriting is vastly different here, as there is obviously more focus on atmosphere, but there's no shortage of riffs, nuances, and creepy melodies. Much like diSEMBOWELMENT, there is a variety of stuff going on here. From full out blasting tremolo death metal riffs, all the way slow sections with clean guitars, Spectral Voice commits fully to the exact kind of characteristics that make death/doom so great, and do so with convincing execution.

The aforementioned longest track, "Visions of Psychic Dismemberment," covers plenty of territory over its lengthy duration. There's some cool vocal effects that pop up here and there to compliment the tortured vocals of drummer Eli Wendler. He hits some deathly lows, but varies it up with yells, moans and almost chant like sounds, helping create a lot of dynamics. This kind of variety is echoed in the various textures of the guitars. As mentioned, they utilize clean guitars in some parts that sound really desolate. There's also lots of lead melodies that have a nice use of modulation effects and echoes/delays. These effects make for such a rich listening experience and really help the band dive deep into the depths of doom.

"Eroded Corridors of Unbeing" was recorded at World Famous Studio in Denver, the same place that their sibling band Blood Incantation has been recording at. The record sounds massive, but it has a certain dark rawness to it, especially the drums. The kicks aren't clicky like a lot of modern death metal records, and it feels like there's a lot of room echo coming out nicely from the kit. A more polished drum sound would just not work as well. There's also quite a lot of layering going on at times through out this record as songs build up, with different melodies and effects on top of each other. It comes out clear and smooth, so credit to the engineer for a job well done.

It's one thing to play slow, but it's another to understand how to integrate hooks into dismal music like this. Spectral Voice sprinkle in a ton of lead melodies in these songs, and that's apparent with the instrumental track "Lurking Gloom," as they hit us with some real cold and creepy leads one after another. The final track, "Dissolution," displays this a lot as well, and again they do some multiple layers as the song approaches its end. They couldn't have picked a better track to close the album out, the last couple minutes are pure death/doom ecstasy.

I can say without hesitation that this is one of my favourite records of the 2010's, and as much as I enjoy Blood Incantation, I've found myself enamored with Spectral Voice. Comparison between the two bands isn't really fair, and I wouldn't entertain the thought if they didn't share three members. It would be more fair to compare them to some of the excellent death/doom bands we've had in the last decade like Anhedonist, Krypts, Sinistrous Diabolus, and Void Rot. All those bands have made some powerful death/doom records, but I think Spectral Voice has best captured the essence of the genre that diSEMBOWELMENT laid out so many years ago.

Spectral Voice’s debut LP ‘Eroded Corridors of Unbeing’ is what you get when you cross breed the muddy production values of ‘Onward to Golgotha’ with the otherworldly eccentricities of dISEMBOWELMENT. After citing such renowned antecedents, one could be forgiven for thinking that I’m over-hyping this modern slab of death/doom. But come inside and see for yourself. As with many of the best releases in this style, the initial impact is often driven by the raw power of the music itself. The actual ideas at play are massive, and require the intellectual distance that can only be achieved by a firm acquaintance with these tracks.

'Eroded Corridors of Unbeing’ is not a fluid release. It comes across initially as a little schizophrenic, unsure of itself as one passage bubbles up before being slashed down by the next. However, it feels more like word association in riff form than it does a conveyor belt of ideas randomly stitched together. Each new riff provides the groundwork for the next, and usually working each through simple variations of playing style or rhythmic underpinning will end up paving the way for the next passage. Like travelling through a series of vast underground caverns linked by tunnels that distort and bounce sound in unfamiliar ways. Once this technique is repeated a few times, the greater underlying structure one is moving through becomes apparent. One realises they were trapped within a much larger work than they initially realised. Sporadic bursts of chaos serve to further disorientate the listener by breaking up the patiently constructed droning doom riffs. Although vocals are suitably guttural for the most part, occasional screams from the distance will emerge to augment the drama and chaos of crescendos and finales.

The interesting thing about ‘Eroded Corridors of Unbeing’, despite being an undeniably focused and triumphant slab of death/doom, is that it makes plain how this style sits at a crossroads within death metal. Yes it does have many commonalities with more formalised iterations of the genre (tech death, prog etc.), at least in terms of technique. But in terms of structure it often feels like it is about to collapse in on itself; either through falling into a complete dirge of repeated doomy chord passages, or outright chaotic grindcore. But just at the point when we reach this album’s heat-death and all of time and space becomes meaningless, they will pull the music back to more familiar territory. All the loose ends are tied up by a traditional death metal riff that lifts the music out of the void and back into a more conventional bludgeoning.

Balanced is not an adjective that immediately comes to mind when faced with an album like ‘Eroded Corridors of Unbeing’. But when viewed in this wider context ‘balanced’ is what it is. And it’s good to see a newer artist finding new creative spaces with a genre that – despite having an abundance of potential – often goes criminally under-utilised.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

There are very few records that grew on me at the rate that Spectral Voice’s debut album did. I only found out about it within the past couple of months, despite it being out for years. Doom/death is tricky, because it’s usually a grower style for me, and while Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing did take several listens to become something I love, those listens happened rapidly. As soon as it was over, I wanted to hear it again. And again. And then I bought it.

Essentially, I look at Corridors as one giant song that should go without interruption. The whole thing is a continuous wave that shifts back and forth between a few prominent formulaic tactics. Usually, an album that doesn’t have a lot of differences between songs won’t sit well with me, but I’ll be damned if this one didn’t do it perfectly. Obviously, slow and trudging riffs with ungodly levels of force make up a decent amount of it. But the gradual progressions to blistering death metal riffs are what make it so unique. There aren’t many points without gray space that show sudden changes.

Those gradual changes are the other half of the equation. Strong bass presence ties a lot of the loose ends together. Often, this will be backed up with cleaner, weeping licks that add tons of life. The one flaw I find here is that a work comprised of five long songs is bound to have something drag. The fourteen (or so) minute “Visions Of Psychic Dismemberment” has this issue. The noisy soundscapes are haunting, creeping all around the second half, as do the drawn-out doom chugs. But there does come a point in that one where I’m ready to move on.

Besides that, though, the rest is timed perfectly and weaves in and out at perfect points. “Lurking Gloom” takes the crawling rhythms with cleaner licks and litters the background with drum blasts at break-neck speeds. Jumps to focused guitar pieces make their way in, and the song winds up molding all of that together. The vocals are incomprehensible; you can’t understand a thing that’s being said. But that adds more flavor, casting murkier slabs to this already grueling cavern of filth. It’s truly magnificent.

Nothing about this is meant to be melodic. Sure, the softer guitar leads do drop hints of that, but everything about those serves to gain a feeling. Thus, Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing is strictly built off of the rhythm patterns, utilizing everything else as layer garnishes. How the layers come together, the placement of them, the timing, and the production are all what make Spectral Voice such an anomaly. Very few bands can do what they do without losing my attention, and I can’t recommend this enough to fans of extreme music.

Originally written for Antichrist Magazine

Spectral Voice’s “Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing,” was without a doubt, my favorite release of 2017, but also probably my favorite release of the last few years. Spectral Voice combine the monstrous bellow of doom metal, with a particularly filthy, cavernous brand of death metal. Bands like Disembowlment, Cianide, Asphyx, and Autopsy had already created a template tor this lurking Frankenstein of metal genres, but for me Spectral Voice accomplish it in an especially vile, crushing manner.

The first few minutes of mood setting, guitar chords on “Thresholds Beyond” conjure up memories of doom legends Asunder, and their album “Clarion Call.” The melancholic progression of guitar chords, and the gargantuan monolithic sound, feel very familiar, in the best way possible. The tempo picks up around the two minute mark, and the music transitions to the more death metal side of things, with a rolling drum beat, tremolo guitar, and cavernous, Incantation style, growling. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the production, as clearly a lot of care was taken. The album has a very deep, heavy, sound, common of doom albums, yet it’s very precise sounding, with all the instruments being audible.

The vocals really caught my attention, when they shifted from that Craig Pillard, whispery guttural, sound to a gut wrenching, higher pitched, yell, that sound like they are spewing straight from the pit of the singers stomach. I’m familiar with this type of screamed vocal, as you can find it in a lot of grindcore or crust bands. It has a deep, yet raw sound, similar to Barney from Napalm Death or the singer of Nails. There's even a few moments on “Visions Of Psychic Dismemberment,” where the drummer/singer employs a reverb drenched, semi-clean style, yell. What I’m really trying to get at it, is the dynamic way the vocals are approached, which mirror the way the songs are structured. The music regularly moves from funeral doom dirges, to tremolo heavy death metal assaults, and to accompany these changes are different vocal styles.

The songs are all fairly long, ranging from five to fourteen minutes, while remaining engaging all the way through. Each song is divided into different passages, moving from doom to death metal, and then into a hybrid of the two, made up of a succession of fairly simple riffs, which pin you under their weight.

In many ways, for this style of metal, it’s a very traditional album, but it sounds very new and unique, which is one of the albums greatest accomplishments, outside of sounding absolutely killer and totally slaying. There is something special about the album, that sets it apart from previous attempts at the death/doom sound. They also manage to avoid each song sounding the same as the last, by creating something that feels like one long piece, made up of shorter passages. I could sing the praises of this album all day, but I’ll conclude by saying Spectral Voice achieve a very idiosyncratic sound within the framework of a well established genre.

This album is fairly monstrous, rather regretting not pre ordering it. Sooner rather than later I'll have to grab the album and a few awesomely ugly long sleeves off the dudes, as my conscious is getting the better out of me for hitting it up on Soulseek.

Describing Spectral Voice isn't too hard. It's that same infinite well of darkness that bands like Immolation and Disma and whatnot regularly draw from, with a decent slab of Disembowelment whenever things slow down a bit. It's not a style I'm hugely familiar with, and it's one I'm rarely all that invested in, so if I'm that psyched on it they must be doing something right.

You could point to the production or the riffs, but one thing I rather dig is how they've got their own sense of melody. You could play a Celtic Frost on a ukelele and you'd still instantly recognise it, same with Slayer, and I feel like SV come under a similar banner. It's all weirdly diminished stuff, ornate but still a bit wrong, amphibian, an elaborate shrine constructed to the slime toad god or something. It's both a plus and a minus, and reminds me of the excellent black metal band in Obsequiae, in that while the songs, the style etc is very much their own, it's also damn hard to tell the songs apart. Sometimes linear songwriting has it's pitfalls I guess.

While everything may blur into one track, though, it's still a good ol' time. The production is completely nailed- everything sounds awfully huge, immense guitar tone, nicely cavernous but still with enough clarity. It can't really be emphasized enough just how much of a showcase this album is as far as Death Metal production goes, and you'd like to see this approach taken even with a bunch of doom stuff too. Whether Spectral Voice are trudging through mire or picking up pace like a particularly angry grizzly everything works and works great.

If I'm gunna nitpick, I feel like it does lack a bit of the weight that their absolutely titanic demo Necrotic Doom had, but that's a big old nitpick for sure. My favourite death metal of 2017 and definitely in the top 5 all round for that year.
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