(Industrial Black Metal) Void - Posthuman - 2003, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Posthuman "fufilling all expectations" - 96%
Well here is a band which, on the first release, had the mighty Carl Michael behind the drumkit, (personal favorite drummer) and even though I have not been able to track down that demo, Posthuman proves that Void does just fine without Carl Michael. Here we have 8 tracks of futuristic and formidable industrial black metal, a genre which seems to be on the rise as of late. After listening to death/black metal since the late 80's, you can imagine that it is difficult to find bands that peak my interests, but Posthuman provides instant satisfaction, both in terms of musicianship and structure.
This release features Kvohst of Dodheimsgard fame on vocals, so it was a bit like hearing a new Dodheimsgard cd, but with more added twists, turns, and new ideas that keep the listener wondering what is going to happen next. This is an important factor to me, as, being a musician myself, I know what it takes to write quality music.
Now, this release spans nearly 50 minutes, and for the duration of those 50 minutes, there isn't much in the way of useless "filler riffs" or other parts that would make one assume that Void has "skimped" on the songwriting. Quite the opposite is the case here with Posthuman. Most of the tracks are over 6 minutes, and although I have heard plenty of bands that drag out their songs, these tracks do not have that effect at all.
As far as the actual sound of Posthuman goes, this is industrial black metal with a cold, unforgiving sound. Void paints a picture of desolate landscapes, dark futuristic nuclear decimation, ruins of human existance, and, to me, seems to invoke the imagery of a tyrannical police state and oppressive government. I havent read the lyrics, but that assertion seems to fit.
The guitars are well executed, with a nice sounding distortion, not too fuzzy or lacking in tone. You can easily make out all of the instruments, so the cd is well-produced, but not so polished that it sounds unrealistic. That is my favorite form of production, where it sounds slightly raw yet you can make out everything.
The drumming, I suspect, was possibly programmed, but this to me is not a bad thing, since you can hardly tell that they are programmed, and they are well done for sure. There are plenty of parts where an electronic sound is eminated by the programmed drums, thus giving it the industrial sound. The bass guitar is audible but doesn't stand out too much.
The vocals are well executed as well, as Kvohst always finds interesting ways to innovate. His tone sounds nearly identical to his performance in DHG, but that's good because I really enjoyed his performance in DHG so...
Taken from Encyclopaedia Metallum:
Overall this is a noteworthy release, and deserves more recognition than it has gotten. If you like Dodheimsgard, Blacklodge or Neo-Inferno 262 this will fit nicely in your collection. Personally I enjoy Void more than the fore-mentioned bands, but that is up to you the listener to decide. Definitely worth your time though if you like this genre. Void has raised the bar for sure, and I hope they come play in the USA soon.

OCD Guitars, Drum programming, Samples
Ionman Vocals, Lyrics