The Vicious Head Society and the RMR crew go way back together. Graham Keane‘s outfit already cratered our runways in 2017 with Abject Tomorrow. A pretty rough-hewn first attempt at delivering a one-man show’s idea of prog. Now, Extinction Level Event brought us that same fare at a much-improved level of geekery. Yet another tale of doom, brimstone, and fire.
And this made us pick up this third iteration, Call of the Void. And as the saying goes, the leopard does indeed not change its spots (easily). This new record latches on where the extinction piece left off. Progressive Metal definitely remains its main course. And, I daresay, at an increased level of proficiency.
But this time, you won’t get any more waffling about doomsday-laden catastrophies. Instead, Call of the Void covers a – and I quote – “…sonic landscape that mirrors the arduous path of self‑discovery.” By the mighty gawds of metal, we’re not sure where we are going here. The crew didn’t quite like the taste of this. But the lecture continues, ordering the audience “…to confront their own recurring cycles and find meaning in the darkness”. Wut? I wasn’t aware that darkness surrounds us and that there’s no meaning to it. And what in the devil-infested hell are recurring cycles that we somehow own? But let’s stop here before everyone overheats. We’re all after the music, nothing else. Right?
And indeed, the moment Call of the Void‘s first notes of Fractured rang out, a much improved prog delivery appeared right in front of us. A richly embroidered smörgåsbord of all things prog, one that often sounds closer to Haken than it actually should. But also one that seems to keep the abject djentology at a minimum. And it shows, you know. It appears that Keane‘s system of maintaining the appearance of a one-man show by using a gazillion guest musicians finally solidified. The RMR crew found a 5-piece lineup with Nathan Max at the helm on vocals. But make no mistake, a gaggle of guest contributors will make sure there’s no shortage of weird moments on Call of the Void. The most prominent being Sareeta wielding the haunted violin, who appeared on our zine on the last two Funeral offerings.
And speaking about the vocals. Mostly delivered in very expressive, clear voice without a note out of place, you’ll nonetheless find a smattering of growls here and there. I reckon, when some emphasis is of the order. But it is Graham Keane‘s sublime (and much improved) mastery of the axes that really took center stage. Dreamy leads, bridges, heavy prog patterns, and caustic solos. It’s all there and exceedingly well arranged.
Need a few examples? The Tide finds the axeman in chief pushing hard with a neat bridge and solos to dream for. That, in the midst of some expertly used voice samples, much like Lucassen did many years ago, to spiff things up some more. Ignite is probably the most accessible track of Call of the Void. One that – apart from the usual patterns – boasts some delicious groove à la Red Cain with some injections of LDDSM‘s1 lusty group chanting.
The record’s full of some weirdo moment here and there. Such as the Polka that suddenly erupts in the midst of The Void. And let me also mention the two last tracks. The Edge of Time Pt 2 gets you an alt metal-esque rendition of its earlier edition. One that only saves its scrawny bacon with some great progression and an absolutely stellar fucking solo. Distant Lights of Home brings this piece to a fitting end. A track that’s strangely unremarkable despite its astounding length. Some sort of a summary of what came before.
So, where does that leave us? At first, the RMR crew did not quite know what to make of Call of the Void. Methinks it ain’t stellar storytelling that saved this record from the torture chamber. It is that improved musical prowess on display, the careful choice of the lineup and guest artists, and the expert arrangement that got us glued to our earphones for a very long time. The vicious ones here jumped a few rungs up the ladder as it comes to quality and astute songsmithing. And for that, we’re glad we picked this record up and let ‘er roar.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Crime Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 24 July 2026
- Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel, a French band liking dirty abodes, it appears. -Ed.-↩