Vehemency We all can name a million different Darkthrone clone bands in a moment’s time, but how many bands are out there heralding the aforementioned band’s Hate Them and Sardonic Wrath era? I believe we have at least one name now that Curse has come up with Void Above, Abyss Below, an album with the darkness of 90s’ black metal (and vocals so damn close to Nocturno Culto’s) but with the attitude of a demented old school thrash / punk affair.

From that perspective, Curse does very fine throughout the mid-tempo savage and simple power chord riffage, but once again it’s the compositional predictability that rises to be the album’s worst enemy at least on the first half of the record, though points can be given to the fact that the material is partially improvised with an on-the-go mentality. Considering that, the band has done quite a hell of a job with these 36 minutes that form the competetent whole of Void Above, Abyss Below.

To analyze the album’s (moderate) diversity further, there are certain moments - residing mostly in the album’s latter half - that part from the common paradigm, such as ”Infernal Visions” that meets more with the recent rocking Satyricon releases, and then there’s the surprisingly adventurous ”Painting the Devil on the Wall” that is laden with a great deal of lead melody. Not to be forgotten is also the album ender ”Priests of the Underworld” that utilizes choir style singing, synths and overall a tad more malicious atmosphere.

Of all the underground black metal albums of recent times,Void Above, Abyss Below doesn’t exactly rise to the top ranks (I could mention Tsorer’s Return to Sodom that still does things a little better) but the album does deliver its riffs in a very smooth and enjoyable manner that endures repeated listens, hence deserving a favorable score and a chance in the audio players of other lovers of punky old school black metal.

Time Signature The 35 minutes and 56 seconds of the skull...

Genre: old school black metal

We are dealing with black metal here, and not just black metal, but old school black metal with its roots firmly planted in the first wave of black metal and artists such as Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Bathory, and Venom.

And I would say that this release has more in commong with Helhammer and Celtic Frost's two first EPs than with modern black metal of today. Thus, "Void Above, Abyss Below" offers primitive, aggressive and dirty music, which means that there is not a lot of emphasis on being technical, or fast or show-offy or anything like that.

This is pure energy.

Most of the tracks are on the verge of being simple thrash metal along the lines of Hellhammer/Frost and Venom with an almost punky attitude., and I actually dig that. The energy of the music is raw and dirty, which fits the holistic expression of the album as a Gestalt very well.

The production is lo-tech (but not unbearable) with lots of reverb and a raw, unprocessed drum sound, and this fits the music itself very well.

If you like early primitive black metal along the lines of Hellhammer/Frost, then you should listen to this album and let yourself immerse into the raw energy.