Already, anything where the worlds of psychedelia and heaviness intersect begs investigation when we consider the undeniable renaissance that the sound has been going through for some time now, and I’m by no means the only one who can’t shut up about its magnificence. It can really feel as though we’re absolutely drowning in many of the talents that are out there that manage to bewilder and impress at what feels like every turn as every year seems to churn out new names that bring new excellence to the table while already-established names continue to astound. Hail the Void has only been around for roughly three years now, but it’s in that time that they’ve already garnered a significant reputation. Their sophomore record stands to expand on that exponentially.
It’s one thing to try and blur the lines between two adjacent styles in some hope to tap into what each have to offer as the listener can easily connect the dots and form an overall experience that can be satisfying and interesting, but it’s something else altogether to truly make the styles morph to your very well with such mastery and grandeur at every turn to be seen, heard, and experienced by all who come before it. Hail the Void already stood tall with their eponymous debut, but it’s now with the impending arrival of “Memento Mori” that this Canadian trio stands to make a claim as one of the premier acts rising through the various realms where we’re given visages of everything connecting psychedelic rock and doom metal to the point that these eight tracks feel downright mesmerizing in every form. The contrast throughout the whole of “Memento Mori” stands as one of the most fascinating pieces of what’s delivered here with the very whole of the creation not left too far behind as Hail the Void has crafted a bewildering effort from start to finish that has so much to offer for any who find themselves within the depths of this creation that stands to not just be the most impactful record of the style that 2023 has seen in its early days but it begs the question of what’s going to possibly come around that can challenge it?
Densely layered and utterly magical in every note and each second, “Memento Mori” accomplishes far more than I think many of us could possibly anticipate even with the wonders that we saw in its predecessor. Hail the Void has crafted undeniable and irresistible gold with this album such that I won’t be surprised if this record is hailed as one of the year’s best and one that people talk about for years to come, and you shouldn’t be either.
“Memento Mori” releases on February 17th via Ripple Music!
LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Memento Mori” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Hail the Void on Facebook here.
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