Rounding out my recent gamut of quality sludge/noise comes Wisconsin’s Desolate Void, who measure up favorably to the likes of Lair of the Minotaur, Ultralord and Black Cobra but with bit of a nasty, Southern tinged grindcore sheen that brings about a bit of Eyehategod or Soilent Green.At the center of Desolate Void’s caustic tantrums is vocalist Andy Howard, who squeals, growls and snarls with the ferocity and unpredictability of a leopard attack while Brent K and Pat Sova lay down and equally gnashing riffs that range from belligerent spasms of spiteful noise to hazy, rolling moments of Southern/Sabbathian groove.
The balance between the furor the more grooving moments is perfect as blistering, scab peeling tracks like “Enduring the Curse”, “Trying to Cope” and the aptly titled “Bleeding Chaos” are offset by more hazy, rollicking tracks like “Quest of the Idiot”, “The Betrayer”, “Who Haunts Who” and “Broken Bones and Bullet Holes” which not as down tuned and devastating as say Lair of the Minotaur, but still cut a more grating, acidic path.
It’s always good to get stuff from the less than prolific Crimes Against Humanity Records, but its always worth the wait and Desolate Void’s painful exercise in noise is definitely worth the wait.
