Ultime Pulsation | Demain Brûle

Void Paradigm are a very interesting act. Consisting of three members who are also active in other French bands their style can widely be described as avantgarde black metal, but this descriptions falls short when trying to define their sound. There are all sorts of influences, ranging from strong doom metal influences over crusty undertones to some hardcore like arrangements and a sludgy attitude. In 2020 they have released album number three titled “Ultime Pulsation / Demain Brule”, named after the two songs of which the record consist. Each of those two has a running time of nearly 20 minutes so you can expect something a bit out of the ordinary compared to a lot of the stuff coming out each day.

The music of Void Paradigm is the sonic equivalent of looming storm clouds, shadowy and oppressive with just the odd hint of sunlight through the darkness. Some parts are faster and have more of a classic black metal tremolo dominated nature, while at other times they stumble along painfully slow an ill-light path, with manic sequences in the middle which push the rhythm section a bit more. One of the main reasons for the band’s success in producing captivating music is their ability to seamlessly combine those various tempo and rhythm changes. Pure doom can get a bit tiresome as the genre boundaries are pretty strict, but by adding those faster and classic blackish pieces Void Paradigm have found a perfect way to keep the listener on his toes throughout the whole album.

Once it had cracked into me a bit I would begin to count its many interesting details and impressive moments and I have returned to the album on successive listens, the greater value of this album became more clear. That is to say it is a “grower”, aimed at a patient and perhaps somewhat more open-minded audience looking for something a bit different. That is not to say that it is hard to get into the music, it’s just that this is an album that warrants your exclusive attention when it’s on, otherwise you might not fully appreciate it and it might pass you by. Riffs combine organically with the frantic drumming that pull you into its dark and somewhat dissonant soundscape, and the fierce vocals only enforce the chaotic nature of the tracks. The music is bold, defiant and captures the sheer chaos of the genre. The desperate and haunting vocals are the perfect instrument to spread the fear, with the singer spitting out the vocals in powerful manner.

The guitars range from fiery bursts of first and second wave influenced power chords to twining minor key passages. The drums follow suit with bursts of blasting freneticism followed by slower paced, clunky rhythms. As the album is split into only two tracks Void Paradigm have put a lot of effort into the build-ups and the flow of the songs. There are some parts that have kind of a jazzy feeling, as if they had been played free style and spontaneously. This lends the whole music a slightly chaotic and unorthodox nature, but overall the patterns are not that complicated and you are able to follow the red threat running through the whole work. There are quite a few surprises and slightly odd details along the way, but Void Paradigm found a great way to forge something complex yet coherent out of those.

The production is crushing and organic with enough transparency to give each instrument enough room. The guitars get the prominent place in the spotlight to do their magical work, but underneath the rhythmical structures are relentless and stomping. In some ways “Ultime Pulsation / Demain Brule” can be seen as something more than just the sum of its parts. It is a journey through different emotions and into dark and obscure places. While probably not for every day I highly recommend to give Void Paradigm a listen and see for yourself if you become as fascinated as I surely did by their music.