Intervoid-Xenolith

Self-Release/Independent
2013

Intervoid, who hail from northeast Ohio, first came to my attention when I caught the tail end of one of their live performances. Given the line-up at said show, which included Cerulia, The Approach And The Execution and Erasing Never, this 4-piece band was more then able to hold their own as one of the evening's opening acts. My only complaint with their performance that night was the fact that I walked in too late to catch all of their set! The part that I did catch though was loud, pulverizing and downright brutal! Featuring the kind of  technical death metal that will never go out of style (or at least I hope not) the band's live sound also pulled in some progressive metal as well as some fringe elements of groove. The band even tore through a Coal Chamber cover as they tried to whip the still-growing crowd into a frenzy. To their credit they did try to wake the sleepy crowd up, but it seemed to remain rather quiet the whole night through. Anyways, after their bass player Matt Snyder ended up standing right next to me during The Approach And The Execution's set, and thus proving he had good tastes in music LOL, I decided to check this group out at a later date. All of that brings us to this 2-track EP which looks to be their latest release. By that I mean that this Ohio act has more then a few "single" releases to their name, but so far it does not look as if they've crossed the bridge into full-length release territory. If  I'm wrong then I'd hope that some one would correct me, but for the meantime we turn our attentions to this 2-track EP.  This short slice of  industrial death metal features the  brutalizing cuts "Xenolith" and "Godlike (8-Shit Remix)" with the later number quite obviously a re-mixed version of their single "Godlike" (which was originally released back on January 27th, 2013). Both tracks are quite nasty with some seriously twisted death growls coming straight from the mouth of lead singer Ricky Lewis! With Sam Vang providing the same kind of sick guitar work here on these two cuts as he did in a live setting and with the drum seat rightly filled by the heavy hitting Johnny Zazo (who appears to have been the last piece of this band's line-up puzzle) it's clear enough that all signs point towards potential success for this Ohio act. You might be asking though "What about Intervoid's actual sound?". What influences lie there lurking in the dark for this 4-piece, up and coming act? Well, a quick glance over at their Facebook page and you'll notice that Intervoid lists the likes of Fear Factory, Gojira, Nile, Testament, Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, Godflesh, Behemoth, Carcass and Morbid Angel as influences. It's likely that you'll hear most of those influences if you back-track through the group's various recordings (all of which were self-produced by the band members themselves!) starting with this one of course or, better yet, if you catch this band in a live setting! That's where these kind of bands should be experienced. If seeing them live isn't a possibility though then at least take comfort in the fact that their hard-hitting music is available in a digital format. The group's bandcamp page can be found at the link below as well as their Facebook page. As always support local talent whenever possible whether you live here in Ohio or not. Underground bands like Intervoid are keeping the true spirit of metal alive so do what you can to support these types of bands and your scene.

http://intervoid.bandcamp.com/album/xenolith

https://www.facebook.com/Intervoid