EP REVIEW: Chronicles III: Underworld – Void Of Vision
The finale for anything is highly anticipated. However, this can be its downfall, as the hype can damage people’s expectations. For VOID OF VISION, the Chronicles trilogy has had two EPs released so far (Lust and Heaven), but the soundtrack to the end of the world has been missing a piece of the puzzle. That is where Underworld comes in. It’s notably shorter than the previous two EPs, with only three songs, however the band seem to be hoping it’ll be a case of quality over quantity.
Lead single and opening song HELL HELL HELL starts off with eerie synths before exploding into a juggernaut of roaring guitar riffs and guttural vocals. The skittering electronic warp on the vocals is a brief one, but it doesn’t really fit the song like the electronic beat that is fantastically mixed in with the heavy metal instruments. Apart from that slight misstep, the song is a fantastic opener.
ASMR leans in further to the electronic sound, starting off with an opening verse that sounds like it could be a part of any normal club song, complete with distorted vocals and a heavy bassline. This continues throughout the song. It is an interesting choice, but there are hints of something much more exciting lurking under the surface. Unfortunately, it isn’t fully embraced, as the band reject a heavy metal breakdown for a generic electronica beat. It is a bit of a strange song that gives you the sense of a band who are trying something new, but it doesn’t quite work. Furthermore, despite the band nailing the blend of electronic and metallic elements in the opening song, ASMR feels completely different. It gives an already short record an uneven sound which is not ideal at all.
The final song is NEUE SICHT, which starts off with a similar generic electronic sound to the previous song, but from there it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. It could have worked as an electronic song, but the metallic elements drag it down a lot. It is as if it can’t decide it wants to be an electronic song or a metalcore song, so it decides to go for both and see what happens. Unfortunately, the production on the song means that the electronic sound overpowers the metal elements. Of course, experimentation is always an interesting thing; however, this song seems to be trying to repeat what the opening song did, but to less satisfying results. Furthermore, the song ends abruptly, which leaves it feeling quite rushed.
This also affects the overall pacing of the EP. Underworld starts off quite fast-paced, however as the band increase their reliance on electronic music, the EP becomes scattered, and the pacing soon slows down, with only short bursts of higher energy. Of course, electronic and metal music do go hand-in-hand sometimes, and it can sound fantastic. However, this EP suffers from having its interesting ideas buried beneath the band’s desire to try everything at once. Furthermore, the production on the EP is not helpful as it seems to just overlay two genres that are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
Overall, Chronicles III: Underworld is a very interesting EP – but not really in a good way. What starts off as an interesting sound soon descends into chaos, and also an identity crisis, as the VOID OF VISION we hear by the end of the record sound completely unrecognisable from the one we find at the start. Even the hints of metal during the last song cannot save it. In terms of finales, this is one that falls a little flat.
Rating: 4/10
Chronicles III: Underworld is out now via UNFD.
Like VOID OF VISION on Facebook.