Review: Voidthrone – Dreaming Rat
How does one approach the problem of describing the indescribable? When an alien entity that defies our carbon-based biology presents itself to us, the experience will likely be one that human language fails to competently describe. Like in the novel Blindsight by Peter Watts, the cold confrontation with a life-form so bizarre and different than our own evolution would be staggering and uncomfortable. With the newest album from Seattle’s Voidthrone, I am convinced that we are all witness to a new form of life that is alien to those even well-traversed with the strange and will struggle to comprehend fully. As stated in Blindsight: “This is how you communicate with a fellow intelligence: You hurt it, you keep on hurting it, until you can distinguish the speech from the screams.” I believe Dreaming Rat is the band’s attempt at communicating with us mere beings of flesh and blood, by harming us intentionally with their music to determine our physiological and psychological responses.
You may still be unconvinced by the weirdness within, but just to belabor the point a bit more, Dreaming Rat is broken into three arcs each composed of three tracks. However, the first trilogy on the album begins in “Arc 2 – The vital present. A universe, a civilization, an idea flourishing into a promised infinity.” Yes, that is the actual name of the opening act, not even the opening track and if you feel like this is simply some lazy attempt at being cute or different, then allow the music to show you otherwise. Kicking off with “II-I. Homeless Animal,” the bizarre is immediately felt with whammy dives and chirps that would make Carpe Noctem turn their heads—and this is before the jaw-harp and monkish, chanted growls come in.
There always seem to be groups, both established and up-and-comers, that revel in soundscapes as harsh and unwelcoming as experienced on Dreaming Rat; Veilburner and Imperial Triumphant come to mind. Yet Voidthrone bring even greater experimentation and a sharpened ferocity that feels more akin to your mind in a straitjacket than musical progressiveness. The band themselves describe the experience thusly:
Structured as a three-part cosmic death ritual, Dreaming Rat follows a triptych of parallel arcs: a solar system burning through its lifespan, a civilization collapsing under its own complexity, and a parasite replicating itself across language, culture, and flesh.
However, you may also find yourself asking if the progressive components and drive for experimentation takes it overboard. This is an issue I share with other acts that strive for the stars only to crash over their own ambitions and abilities. Fret not, my dear musical degenerate, as there still exists plenty of head-banging grooves, gurgles, and blasts to keep your body grounded as your mind flies…but yes, there’s a didgeridoo that kicks off the second arc entitled “Arc 1 – The hopeful past. A maelstrom of violence and optimism.” These left turns the band throw out never feel forced or out of place as they never let any one section simmer for too long. The musical and tempo shifts are constant, with some being so neck-snapping that even Maximum The Hormone would struggle to keep up.
Now, we are all aware of what truly makes or breaks a release. It is as simple as quality; the quality of the songwriting, performances, and unique voice inserted into the music itself. Without such things, especially in metal, one is forced to listen to wave after wave of releases that feel bland, uninspired, and incapable of making a case for themselves in lieu of alternatives. But when you mix in a controlled level of avant experimentation such as Blut Aus Nord mixed with Fleshvessel, the technicality of such acts as Aeseitas and Suffering Hour, along with a heavy dose of dissonance in the vein of Ulcerate and Skáphe, you will begin to understand the assault that awaits the listener.
Throughout the duration of its runtime, Dreaming Rat is packed to the gills with intensity brought on by vocalist/lunatic Zhenya Frolov, who also contributes duties on the Japanese Otamatone. His vocal performance alone is an excursion across varying metal subgenres such as death and black, but also DSBM, drone, and brutal death metal pig squeals. It would be remiss if I excluded the excellent performances from Ron (guitar, jaw harp), Gavin Brooks (bass/fretless bass, acoustic and guitar solos), and humanoid octopus Josh Keifer (drums, vibraslap, didgeridoo, spoons). Their maniacal approach to their craft is proof that the only limitations you possess when composing are those you place upon yourself.
Ending the album is the third and final act, “Arc 3 – The silent future. An extinguished, lonely death of the physical, spiritual, and cognitive” which you can probably guess doesn’t contain much in the way of easy listening or relaxation. There does however exist the wildest ragtime section you have likely heard this year in “III-I. Surfing the Abyss” which returns later in the track just to make sure you aren’t actually losing your sanity. Small yet distinctive choices and progressive ideas keep the pace in constant motion, which assists in driving the intensity forward, but also acts as an indecipherable amalgamation of noise just begging to be plunged into as you find your consciousness surviving alongside the rat on the cover.
5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Dreaming Rat is available now through Bandcamp. Like you have something better to spend a whopping $3.33 on.
