ALBUM REVIEW: Death’s Crown – VoyD

When VOYD came together to discuss the required direction for their sophomore record Death’s Crown, the mission was simple: take the bones from their 2018 debut, build, and enhance their brand. They dusted off the drawing board, and began to create. Having already established themselves as apt writers of dizzying death metal, the challenge now leaned more towards demonstrating their staying power, and whether or not they could continue the momentum built first time round.

The artwork speaks of technically, brutality, and doffs it’s cap in the direction of genre greats such as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER et al. But if the artwork speaks volumes, then the music speaks for itself. A short introductory track does nothing to quell the flood of stampeding riffs that waste no time in making a cameo. The King And The Seer is the first track proper, and kicks the album off emphatically. For six minutes the pace is exponential, quickly demonstrating the band’s instrumental capabilities, and it impresses right off the bat.

Next up is Regicide, which continues in the same vein, and although there are unmistakable nods to death metal forefathers, at the same time a real sense of identity begins to creep into the record. Shining a light on your influences is not a crime, and VOYD strike a delicate balance between finding their own niche, and celebrating death metal clichés with pinpoint execution. Ultimately, it’s a melodeath battering ram, but between the lines we find intricate musicianship, and a real sense of craftsmanship. Dredge and Devout Until Death offer more of the same, pummelling us with ceaseless riffs, before opening up into dizzying solos and blasts.

Throughout the record, it is the guitar work that stands as the highlight. Through tracks like Spectral Reflection and Reckoning it shines, backed all the while by demonic growls that rattle through the album’s concepts. It is always structurally sound, and offers a level of orchestration that is often lost in modern metal. VOYD clearly look to emphasise the album process, as each song works individually, but ultimately forms part of a much bigger picture.

As they look to drag themselves from obscurity, VOYD have written an album here that will surely open the eyes of anyone fortunate to stumble open it. They have succeeded in progressing the musical concepts from their debut, and although they will surely look to continue building on that, they can be proud of what they have to offer with Death’s Crown; a rock solid, attention worthy death metal record. 

Rating: 8/10

Death’s Crown is out now via self-release.

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