Death is inevitable, of course, but how will you deal with the wait? Inspired by harsh lessons in acceptance of defeat via Nevil Shute’s apocalyptic novel On the Beach (1957) Kraków, Poland-based black metal trio UNTERVOID add an extra layer of final judgement to humanity as impending armageddon is portrayed as not only self-imposed but incited by human nature on this well-refined debut album. Developed as a sort of concept album ‘Parasite‘ is the embodiment of an anxietous correlation drawn between societal slow-collapse and shrinking environs, all the while pointing a finger at the clear cause. Beyond theme and the moodiness that comes with it their own deranged take on black metal pulls from an eclectic font for its somewhat avant-garde yet accessibly stated point of view making for an easily approached yet bleak-minded result.

Untervoid formed circa 2015 via Destroyer, who is best known as a key member for early Kriegsmachine as well as a guitarist for the second phase of Hate as their blackened death era began, alongside drummer Adam Sierżęga a founding member of Lost Soul and a part of the reformation of Armagedon in the mid-2000’s. From the sound of things this wasn’t a pre-destined union in terms of style but rather a sound developed between the two over the course of about a year, eventually landing upon a blackened death metal style which at the time appeared to echo the experience of past projects to some degree. Their self-titled EP (‘Untervoid‘, 2018) was more notable for its theatric vocal style than its riffs though the arrangements were at least somewhat sinister in the shapes they’d outlined. I wouldn’t say it’d made a fan of me at the time but it was something different than one’d expect a la late 2000’s Hate or Nomad. Beyond that point they’d brought live member Haldor Grunberg (Thaw, Satanic Audio) into the fold as they began work on ‘Parasite‘ around 2019, laying a foundation before likely being put on a back-burner ’til the ongoing pandemic allowed time to refine and potentially support their work on tour.

Having several years to reshape and refine their approach has made for a particularly well-thought, personality rich debut LP as Untervoid have notably evolved their blackened groove to a nigh prog-black step which is made all the more engaging per Destroyer‘s vocals extending their range and control. Whereas the early work of the band had a simple directive outlined they’ve been able to develop leagues more depth within these rhythms which open a variety of portals to both approachable and challenging realms depending on the moment and the intent of the piece. The first impression left by the first single “Ruiner” reveals this sophistication of their voice outright and at its most intense mid-album clip wherein multi-layered vocals grow a number of heads for the greater beast to speak through while use of dual-rhythmic phrases stretch and ring into lightly dissonant endpoints while still feeling contained. There is a stoic quality to much of ‘Parasite‘ which they’ve smartly tempered with various levels of psychosis, such as the deflating wheeze of the keys in the final third of said song, and these touches are where I’d felt these folks had their most brilliant breakthroughs beyond the obvious leap made into their skin.

While a lot of avant-black intent with some post-’94 Mayhem-esque vocal inspiration often bears a circus-like marvel when delivered in such a buttoned-up, neatly recorded frame ‘Parasite‘ has plenty enough patience to build the necessary gravitas. Otherwise a song like “23” simply wouldn’t work if it could not “sell” the moment so convincingly as they jangle into a simple chord progression and lean into a saxophone developed melody. For every moment of glowing weirdness there is control, often delt via a rush of chunking aggression, as we are reminded these are folks of a certain generation of Polish death and black metal where a wall of hammering death will inevitably follow. This’d made for a unique enough dynamic throughout and one that was well boosted by the final mastering from Audiosiege, lending a vibrancy to an album clearly intending something less typically moderne but still voluminous and imposing. This general verve repeats on some of the most memorable songs here, such as the steadier climb of “Abyss Gazes Back”, though Untervoid do not appear stuck in one mode or feeling as the album flexes all that these folks are capable of.

The most compelling songs on ‘Parasite‘ for my own taste were I guess the least “necro” feeling moments oddly enough, such as the dreary advance of “Swarm” and the almost black n’ roll step of “Downfall of Angels” both of which use a simpler rock song structure to develop their core movement. Of course the riffs are once again not the main point of existence here, though their rhythmic voice has exploded into form, as the main director of the narrative here is Destroyer‘s vocal range; The lyrics and the general theme of this album should be obvious enough as the global pandemic of the last several years and its greater implications for the future of humanity become better stated with each pass and in that sense I’d almost think this’d have been more interesting a subject a couple of years ago. This is of course not a reasonable fault to launch at an album developed over the course of several years and there is great precedence in black metal (and death metal) viewing humanity as a plague upon itself for generations prior. The tone they’ve built around these points has a sense of purpose and a clear enough point of view and in that sense Untervoid arrives with notable conviction, especially for a debut LP which didn’t necessarily need to be this sure of its own footing.

Any effort to use one’s long-standing mastery to escape the tedious mediocrity of modern black/death metal should be commended and in this sense an album like ‘Parasite‘ offers just enough of a step out of bounds to deliver a delirious, affected experience which sets its personage apart. While it may be hard to replicate this almost perfectionist touch again, and there are moments on this album that’re almost too slickly pro-level in their delivery for my own taste, I’d found Untervoid gave me reasons to return to their debut LP without resorting to all of the usual tactics. Otherwise I’d appreciated the overall curation of this record right down to the album artwork (via Sars) which is particularly fitting as the greeting for this estranged yet oddly approachable record. A moderately high recommendation.

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