Hail The Void: Memento Mori

Hail The Void are a new band for me, hailing from beautiful British Columbia. It is nice to get to know a Canadian doom metal band and this three piece brings lots of power to the table. Their sophomore effort is titled Memento Mori (2022), the follow up to their self-titled debut released in 2020.

The band is:
Kirin Gudmundson (vocals, guitar)
Dean Gustin (bass)
Lucas McKinnon (drums)

The first thing that struck me is the beautiful cover art by Welder Wings. There is a dark and haunting quality that foreshadows the music held within. The disc starts with the two minute “Mind Undone� with its massive wall of distortion and embedded in the matrix are faint vocals adding a haunting quality, hinting at something evil lurking within. This leads directly into the slow doom of “Writing On The Wall� beginning with mildly distorted guitar strums before the drums enter with a blast of heaviness. The riffs get heavier and the vocals soar into the black, at least that’s what I imagined while listening. And maybe the best part �" it’s super catchy as well. On “Goldwater� a pretty and clean guitar (I hear a touch of Floyd) and ethereal vocals that are absolutely stunning lead into a deeper bass riff that captured my attention immediately. Everything flows so smoothly, the band’s songcraft is superb. “Talking To The Dead� has Hail The Void in heavy mode, all doom, fire and brimstone, the music reverberates soul with its dense slabs of riffage. “High And Rising� is another heavy behemoth with sparser stoner/psych riffs interspersed within a frenzied guitar attack and a blistering solo that will leave you breathless. The mellower “100 Pills� features cleaner and calming riffs and forlorn vocals while “Serpens South� has one of the catchiest riffs on the disc.

Memento Mori is just a fantastic album, with the band’s atmospheric and trippy moments just as fulfilling as their more intense heaviness. As such, this needs to be in your collection.

A Ripple Music release.

Track Listing:
1. Mind Undone
2. Writing On The Wall
3. Goldwater
4. Talking To The Dead
5. High And Rising
6. 100 Pills
7. Serpens South
8. The Void

Added: February 15th 2026
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 134
Language: english

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