I like to listen to albums from new bands that seek to create something of their own -almost from scratch, especially in Greece- without any attempt to reproduce detrimental musical structures. And don’t think that this is easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. You see it’s easy to…jump on the mainstream bandwagon and become one of the dozens of others but believe me it’s hard to try to create something of your own and win your own audience. And Void Era, at least in my eyes, that’s what they are aiming for with their debut album “Guilt”. The question is: are they succeeding, or to be more precise, do the compositions justify their vision?
I’ll be clear: “Guilt” is not an easy album. It’s not the album that will “grab you” at once and say: “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it”! It takes careful listening and continuous listening sessions to enter the world of Void Era. I would even say that one needs to pay attention to the lyrics in order to “catch” the overall picture because there is a loose “concept” regarding the escape from all kinds of swampy situations with the aim of spiritual change. That’s what the lyrics bring out to me. Now, on a purely musical level I would say that the guys are playing a modern heavy rock with a lot of alternative wedges. Especially the guitar themes reminded me of the way the DeLeo brothers composed on the third and fourth (mainly) album of Stone Temple Pilots. Elia Tsara’s vocals are absolutely fitting and the overall performance in the studio is very good too. I think, however, that this sound should be matched in the future with a pursuit of slightly catchier compositions to reach a larger audience without losing the musical DNA of Void Era in any way. Positive mark to “Guilt” and best wishes for a bright future.
Highlight: Gus Dibelas handled the production.
