VOID KING ~ THE HIDDEN HYMNAL .... review

We at Desert Psychlist absolutely love a big clean powerful vocal, this is not to say we have anything against the guttural growlers, the demonic screechers, the ethereal crooners and the whiskey ruined roarers who also populate the hard rock, stoner, doom and psych scene, all of which have been covered and praised on these pages, it is just that there is something about a strong rich voice (male or female) that really smacks our sweet spot and sends shivers of delight hurtling down our spines. Indianapolis quartet Void King possess amongst their number a vocalist of such power and tone, the bands line up of Derek Felix (drums/percussion), Chris Carroll (bass) and Tommy Miller (guitar) lay down grooves that blend proto and traditional flavoured doom with elements of classic metal, hard rock and grunge, it is a sound that even without the addition of vocals would sound majestic and mighty but with Jason Kindred's rich strong tones front and centre things take on a whole new level of impressive as you will no doubt discover when listening to the bands latest album "The Hidden Hymnal"

"The Hidden Hymnal" is not just a collection of songs built around powerful grooves and and an exceptional vocal, dig into the albums lyrics and you will find intelligent observations of our current political climate, our relationships with each other and the individual choices we make in our lives. Opening song "Egg Of The Sun" might boast thick reverberating doom flavoured guitar tones and thunderous rhythms but vocalist Kindred is not waxing lyrical about devil's and demon's he's pointing a finger at those that turn a blind eye to intolerance and prejudice, a state of affairs perfectly summed up in the line "Mine eyes have seen the tyranny of the hatred caused by bended knee", telling us "It's time to shine the light In the cracks where they like to hide". Following number " The Grackle" tells the story of an injured bird being taken in and nursed back to health against a backdrop of strident metallic bluster, a moralistic tale told in forceful tones whereby the bird could be an analogy for helping a friend down on their luck or a political refugee in need of support, a great song either way you care to read it . Third track "Engulfed In Absence" is an emotive lament/tribute to a departed parent/guardian that if it had been sang to a backdrop of bluesy guitar and sympathetic keyboards could have possibly come across as a little cheesy, thankfully Void King chose to go in completely the other direction and what could have been laid back mournful and sad is instead heavy celebratory and thankful. Next track "When The Pinecones Close Up" not only boasts a superb vocal it also throws the spotlight on how good a band it is that supports that vocal, Carroll's low boneshaking bass lines lock in with Felix's thunderous and tight drums to lay down a platform of groove that even at its quietest is still mountainous while Miller's guitar work, although not soaring here, is the glue that that holds it all together, his thick toned riffs reverberate and thrum like an overloaded power cable. Void King get a little bluesy for penultimate number "Brother Tried" a gritty rant against fake news and misinformation and those that use the internet to both control and divide while final song  "Drink In The Light" is another tune that can be read two ways, is it one man describing an episode of hypochondria, as the line "Fear fills in the times when the mind is allowed to roam" seems to suggest, or is the body in question a lyrical tool to explain a society slowly falling into disrepair, our money is on the latter but we could be wrong so we'll let you decide.

Doom, stoner/hard rock and metal bands are dab hands at telling tales of the dark arts, wizards and witches and swords and sorcery but not so good at dealing with things sitting on their own doorsteps. This is where Void King's "The Hidden Hymnal" differs from albums released by many of their contemporaries, here we have songs that reference fathers, brothers, current political situations and social media, an album populated with people events and situations we can not only relate to but have to deal with everyday, its basically all our triumphs all our disappointments and all our fears set to music.

Check it out .... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones