Lithic

Nestled at the mouth of the Elbe river, the north German metropolis of Hamburg is known for many things: One of the busiest ports in the world, the infamous Reeperbahn where you can exchange money for a good time, mediocre football (or soccer for my American friends) clubs and an exquisite underground music scene. While especially many punk bands have risen from the music halls of the city, there is also a very respectable metal scene spreading across all genres that you can think of. Doom/death group Voidhaven also emerged from this beautiful town, although one would argue to call them an "underground" band. Looking at some of the band members CV you can see in fact that Voidhaven is consisting of (ex-) members of the much better known bands Ophis, Fvneral Fvkk or Remembrance, which all made a name for themselves in the genre of doom metal. So are they rather a supergroup? I really don't know, but I am sure about one thing - they really released some good, atmospherically dense doom/death metal with their first full-length album called "Lithic".

Musically there is of course a lot of talent, as well as knowledge of the tools neeeded to compose appealing song passages. Doom metal always lived off the atmosphere it produces. So yeah, while Voidhaven might have the advantage to have some really experienced musicians in their own rows there is another, much more crucial difficulty for them to be aware of: Creating an unqiue sound. I am not just talking about a different tuning on the amplifier or altered vocals. It is clearly more important that the songwriting, from the melodies through the lyrics, is creative without sounding too tryhard or too boring. What also cannot be unerestimated is the high expectations of the listeners. These are the points where many "supergroups" ultimately fail. It begs the question: "What are the expectations?" First of all, please don't suck! But more importantly, catch me with good metal and use the creative tools given to you through your experience!

Did they nail the expectations? Oh yeah boy, they did! Right off the bat (Resting on Tombs) we have a dreamy melody carried out by the lead guitar which gets backed by distorted rythms after about one minute. The riffing and overall makeup of this song is making the 07:36 minutes fly by like nothing. I really like that every single one of the songs has a distinct melodic theme, which gets adapted in structure, as well as in instrumentation. Piano passages found their way into this release, as well as acoustic guitars. Refreshing, as you have to be careful with the dose of repetitiveness. Voidhaven clearly have found an excellent compromise to give their songs structure, without doing the same thing over and over again. From songs with lethargic, whirring guitar riffs (To Walk Among Ghosts), to songs with gorgeous melodic inserts (The Desolate Throne) or songs which have borrowings from black metal (The Everblazing Picture). The northern Germans are doing it all and they are doing it all right.

From a lyrical point of view, "Lithic" deals with inner struggle, depression and despair. Nothing new at all for this genre of darker, moody metal. But hey, it works just fine, so why risk it with some unnecessary experiments that might ruin the vibe of the songs? The lyrics are good, for sure above average but nothing to get overly excited about. We have a very short line in latin on the release, which is cool I guess (Sermon of Scorn). Most importantly, nothing really seems cringeworthy or implausible lyrics wise. You buy the guys' story about desolation and that's what matters the most here. Take "Lithic" as proof, that lyrics are cool and all but the music is what matters most - at least in doom and/or atmospheric metal. Highlights here might be the afore mentioned Sermon of Scorn or the last track of the album (Something Cruel Within). Vocal wise we get served with an intriguing mix of deep growls and beautiful passages with clean singing. Parallels to Ahab and subsequently other funeral doom metal bands can't be denied. Complementing the musical output of the northern Germans, the vocals leave me nothing to complain about and albeit being nothing special, they just work very, very well.

Voidhavens' debut album has character. identity and is best compared to a good scotch whisky: Behind it all are some talented and experienced destillers, it has some raw edges that beg to be discovered, it has all the distinct nuances and is a perfectly rounded piece of art. Coming back to my introduction to this review, many bands from Hamburg have talent. This city has produced some fine metal acts. Could Voidhaven be the next promising band emerging from the shores of the north sea? I think we have to wait for the next release. But this one is as strong as a foundation as there could be. It is clearly distinguishable from the average metal release and therefor my hopes are pretty high. One thing is safe: "Lithic" will stay in my playlists for a long time, maybe even forever.