Inherits The Void – Monolith of Light

Band: Inherits The Void
Title: Monolith of Light
Label: Avantgarde Music
Release Date: 10 December 2021
Country: France
Format Reviewed: High-quality digital recording

Today I bring you another one-person band, multi-talented and creative genius, Antoine Scholtes, the force behind Inherits The Void. In this his debut album, you will hear a mix and melding of both melodic and atmospheric black metal and other sound influences as well. Inherits The Void is brand new, with its beginnings in 2020 so I am pleased to have a listen to this seven-track first album and share my thoughts. What Antoine is hoping for in this album is, (I will quote his words), “a meeting between influences from the ‘90s Swedish Black Metal scene and a more current orientation of the genre”.

Some sound influences to listen for on this album will remind you of Vinterland, Dawn, and Dissection as well as atmospheric touches from bands like Nesseria, Celeste and Deluge.

All right, let us get this started…

The first track, “Pillars of The Aether”, first thing that hits are the synths, a falling and rising of haunting melody. Antoine opens things up with vocals that feel deeply embedded in a forceful unleashing of emotion with the unrelenting beat of rapid pounding of black metal drums. Guitars build and feed the aggression that is heard in the manic riffing and furious energies being released. Midway through Antoine’s vocal bleeds out to an echoey whisper, with guitar slowly, picking, and lending that melancholic feel to this section. The track continues on with the established rhythms of vocals, guitar and drums, a sense of completeness comes over me, as I listen, and the synths come back at the very close of the track. Full Circle.

The second track, “As the Winds Moan the Threnody”, kicks off with relentless manic drums, and speed riffs to race the screaming vocals of Antoine. A threnody, is a lament. This song embodies that state, seeming to be the wind, brutal and harsh, and also gentle and barely felt. This track holds the mournful passages to the beauty that they are, and the savagely raging sections that are unrelenting in their cold icy notes. Both together, a very good song.

The third track, “Monolith of Light”, beginning in a keyboard, building an epic wall of continuous layers of music. All overlapping, and wrapping around from each point to each. Breaks of frenetic hard hitting drums and equally furious guitar riffs break up the wall of sound. Antoine sings from that cold, ragey, vocal, that almost eats up the back ground sounds already present. He’s a beast in this, and this whole track keeps the black metal fire burning.

The fourth track, “Unfathomable Echoes”, Antoine screams, and the scream is lengthened to play against the mourning of the guitar and atmosphere created. This track is beautifully sung, angry and sad both. The music lifts and falls, and the tone is one of heavy melancholic sadness. The drums in this, are non-stop. Its like the drum is being bludgeoned until all that is left is the metal frame. (Hard to describe a drum being hit so fast and with such force).

The fifth track, “Starless Path”, instrumental interlude, with the showcasing of atmosphere building guitar riffing and drums.

The sixth track, “Through The Eyes of Cosmos”, this has the riffing and drum sequences of traditional black metal to start things. Song varies between energized cold riffing and punishing guitar riffs, and insane speed of drumming. Vocals are a roar, a growl that fades out and picks up again to bash your eardrums. There are some slower tempo sections that give some of the atmosphere.

The seventh track is “Aorasia”, solid guitar solo and to follow is the riffing and drums that are ongoing and powerful. Antoine’s vocal is deeply felt in this final foray of the album. Very definitive and pushing energies to implode.

To further quote Antoine Scholtes, “Monolith Of Light “deals with the will to face human beings with the fact that they are ephemeral on the scale of cosmos and to confront them, also, with their faults and the absurdity of many of their acts”. Antoine has written and put together a thought-provoking album, that deals with that topic. His music speaks, and we as the listeners, fall in to it and think as well. I give an 8/10 Metal Marie

NOTE: At this moment there is no song available for the album So we gave you the latest release.

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8/10 To Greatness and Glory!
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