’…There has been no better time to embrace Void Of Vision; you won’t believe what happens next…’
Void Of Vision have been the rising stars of metalcore for quite some time now. Erupting into mainstream metalcore consciousness with their sophomore record ‘Hyperdaze’, the Australian outfit have since been on a mission to destroy all expectations of them, and demonstrate that genre is merely a suggestion.
Back in 2022, in the midst of recording the second part of the band’s ‘CHRONICLES‘ series of EPs, vocalist Jack Bergin suffered a stroke. The cause was noted as being an AVM, and Bergin was advised to remove himself from high stress situations and was prescribed anti-seizure medication. Instead, however, Bergin would throw himself into tours of the US and Europe, and continue with his art, including a high octane video for the band’s single, ‘DOMINATRIX‘.
‘CHRONICLES‘ would birth one more EP, and be compiled into the band’s third full-length LP, a blistering, unholy matrimony of genres that established them as the most exciting metalcore outfit around. Planning for their fourth LP commenced immediately, with plans for a conceptual record about a human vessel taken over by a morally ambiguous celestial being; ‘Angel Of Darkness‘, both the track and persona, were born from this, as Bergin sought ways of creating a buffer between the audience and his failing health.
It would prove not to be enough. In 2023, Bergin would suffer a major bleed on the brain when his AVM ruptured, leading to a prolonged stay in hospital, and a confrontation with the fact he could have easily died that night. Suddenly, in the wake of having his entire life and career upended, creating a high science fiction concept record felt meaningless. In a state of existential turmoil, Bergin found himself wondering what it is he’ll leave behind, and from what must have felt like the ruins of the band’s career, their most definitive record to date was constructed.
None of this is vital to know to enjoy the record. Void Of Vision are incredibly accomplished musicians, and on ‘What I’ll Leave Behind’, the band have fused together their genre experiments across the ‘CHRONICLES‘ project to form a sound that is immediately recognisable as theirs. The result is ten tracks of high octane, blood-pumping metalcore adjacent anthems, fuelled by influences from EDM, industrial metal, grunge, and nu metal. Whether through the immense, soaring choruses of ‘Empty‘, the eurobeat sparkle of ‘Angel of Darkness‘, or the crushing breakdowns of ‘Gamma Knife‘, their is something for both long-time fans and newcomers to enjoy, even when wholly divorced from the context of the record.
However, only with that context does the pure, crushing emotive weight of the record truly become appreciable. Whilst Bergin’s surgeries were described as ‘non-invasive’, this record is anything but, as Bergin tears himself wide open and permits himself to bleed out in front of the listener, exposing his fears, vulnerabilities, toxic traits, and unbridled sense of loss. The record almost feels divided in two, split by the ambient pseudo-interlude that is ‘Beautiful Things‘, as Bergin delivers the key lyric of the entire album: ‘And know that if you’re not afraid to die/Then what is the point of life?‘
Tracks such as ‘Oblivion‘, ‘Blood For Blood‘, and ‘Supernova‘ position Bergin as a bomb waiting to explode, driven forwards by a relentless urge to push the art of Void Of Vision further and further, regardless of the consequences to own health. The dark, pulsing electronics and gravelly vocals of ‘Blood For Blood‘ marks it out as one of the album’s highlights, especially as it thunders towards a cataclysmic, breakcore tinged breakdown in the back half. ‘Gamma Knife‘ marks the moment of no return, as Bergin sings of the night in 2023 he suffered the bleed, and acts as both a literal recount of the gamma knife surgery he underwent, and the exposing of his darkest thoughts and feelings which he was forced to confront during a prolonged isolating hospital stay.
‘Empty‘ is a heavy, brooding affair, reminiscent of something from Linkin Park’s glory days, with a greater focus on pure guitars and drums than much of the rest of the album; Bergin wonders ‘how the fuck you could ever love a mess like me‘, now prevented from performing or creating, and divorced from what he believes makes him desirable. Years can pass in the blink of an eye in the music industry; now no longer producing content for the endlessly hungry algorithms and voracious industry, would Void Of Vision be forgotten?
Lyrically, it is ‘Midnight Sweat‘ that proves to be the most stark of the record, with Bergin openly addressing the feeling that he should have perished that night, and that it was only by fortunate circumstance that he was able to receive the assistance he needed (‘It’s like it haunts me out of spite/I should have been alone that night‘). Now confronted with the fragility of his own life, and a second chance to live, Bergin is gifted with an opportunity to kill what parts of him he desires not to leave behind, perfectly embodied as the album builds to a euphoric end with ‘Decades‘ and ‘Angel Of Darkness‘.
This concludes the album on a peculiar note. ‘Angel Of Darkness‘ exists as a remnant from an album that never was, both as a coping mechanism that Bergin used to avoid as much stress as possible, and a celestial being that ultimately never descended. The track’s inclusion, however, leaves it with a different tone; ‘Angel Of Darkness‘ almost feels like a love letter to Bergin’s band mates, friends, and fans, who refused to leave when finding Bergin at his lowest. Exposed to radiotherapy, Bergin cast off the ‘Angel Of Darkness‘ from within him, and here it remains at the end of the album as what he will leave behind going forwards in life.
Bergin’s tale, and how he and bandmates James McKendrick, Mitch Fairlie, and George Pfaendner have managed to bring it to life sonically, has culminated in a record that leaves no room for doubt about Void Of Vision’s status; in the metalcore scene, both within Australia and internationally, the band are one of the best around right now. ‘What I’ll Leave Behind‘ feels like not only the perfect summary of the band’s journey thus far, but a point of rebirth for the four-piece. There has been no better time to embrace Void Of Vision; you won’t believe what happens next.
RATING: 85/100 – Mostly Excellent
For Fans Of: Northlane, Ocean Grove, Modern Error, Enter Shikari, the great nothing, Static Dress
Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.
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