ALBUM REVIEW: Hyperdaze – Void of Vision

VOID OF VISION are one of the smaller musical exports from down under. Their sound is caught somewhere between the path-finding tones of NORTHLANE and the seething aggression of ALPHA WOLF. And when you throw in the fact that VOID OF VISION have never been afraid to fiddle around with inspirations well outside the alternative scene, they quickly form into a nice little hidden gem found when you pierce through the tough outer surface of the Australian scene.

Now staring down the barrel of their latest release Hyperdaze, it is clear on one hand that VOID OF VISION are dead set on establishing themselves are a real heavyweight of the metalcore scene, whilst on the other hand dabbling their hand further in a few new elements. Immediately noticeable is how hard Hyperdaze hits when it is in full swing. Year of the Rat jabs with heavy right hooks before Babylon comes in with a maelstrom opening riff. It’s in these moments that VOID OF VISION really show how good they can be, and really establish the ‘pure-hatred and nihilism’ themes the band sought to explore on record. 

The moments of sometimes shoehorned melody are welcome moments of reprieve and are spaced well to ensure the aggression of the album is still front and the true centre of attention. If Only plays the field well, and balances the melody with a monolithic breakdown, and the very NORTHLANE inspired opening of Slave To The Name is a pretty good example of how to blend the two sounds. The issue comes in how similar a lot of these songs can begin to feel, and thus sometimes just blend into one by the end of the record. It can be very easy to simply cherry pick a handful of songs on this album and feel like you’ve heard all there is to be heard, because a lot of these songs are not that creatively dissimilar, wielding the same riff and breakdown patterns. 

There are obvious highlights throughout the album, and with the tail end stacked with significantly heavier elements than the first half, you get the sense that VOID OF VISION were trying to create a real, descending experience with Hyperdaze. As opposed to focusing on collating a collection of songs, the album certainly feels like a complete package when played front to back. With moments like the odd-but-not-out-of-place Adrenaline placing a weird, dark dance beat in the middle of the album, it offers a twisted and entirely unexpected break that never drops the violent vibe of the album. Out of context this simply falls into the category of useless album filler, but when played as part of a whole it works an absolute treat.

This is by far the best compliment Hyperdaze can get. The flow it has from being played front to back is undeniable. The descent into a far heavier and dark finale gives Hyperdaze a twisted sense of psychopathy, and also gives the whole album a bit of a deeper edge than a lot of their stable mates. Of course there are highlights in the form of Babylon, Kerosene Dream, and the explosive Splinter, VOID OF VISION have instead created an album that works far better as a complete package. While you certainly can still cherry pick throughout Hyperdaze, you might find yourself short of a few songs, and you’ll also completely miss the wider arching theme of this album as a whole. Hatred is a spiral we all fall into from time to time. 

Rating: 7/10

Hyperdaze is out now via UNFD. 

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