Tales Between Reality and Madness was the very strong 2013 debut from Italian doom/sludge/prog/occult metal act Void of Sleep, and now three years later we see the follow-up, another fine platter of adventurous metal, titled New World Order. From the pretty evil cover artwork from Simone Bertozzi down to the dark yet infectious grooves, New World Order is steeped in haunting imagery and keeps you guessing at every turn. "The Devil's Conjuration" bobs and weaves with metallic prog fury, while the blending of complex passages and sludge metal bombast of "Hidden Revelations" comes across like a mix of Opeth and Mastodon. "Slaves Shall Serve" is more upbeat and driving, with thumping riffs and propulsive drum work, while the somewhat bluesy proto-metal of "Ordo Ab Chao" brings to mind Baroness, Blue Cheer, and Sir Lord Baltimore. Switching gears quite a bit, the lengthy title track offers heaping amount of atmosphere and melody, as lush melodic vocals drift over psychedelic arrangements before the heavier riffs & symphonic bursts come in to break up the scene. Closing out is the epic 14-minute "Ending Theme", easily the most progressive tune on the album, with clean & harsh vocals, booming bass lines, sinewy guitars, acrobatic drums, and loads of ethereal atmosphere poking through the many complex passages.
With enough crushing riffs to excite the doom/stoner crowd, but certainly lots of intricate & complex stuff happening for the prog fans, this latest from Void of Sleep sees the band going into many different directions, but in the end it all works quite nicely. New World Order is easy to recommend, and another winner from the folks at Aural Music.
Track Listing
1) The Devil's Conjuration
2) Hidden Revelations
3) Slaves Shall Serve
4) Ordo Ab Chao
5) Lords of Conspiracy
6) New World Order
7) Ending Theme