From classicist junior thrashers cracking off a pro-level debut to todays claymore-touting, bullet-belted and big hair’d impalers Lafayette, Louisiana-based “haunted” thrash metal quintet VOID have matured into an even more imposing troupe in the span of just a few years as they introduce this brilliant sophomore full-length album. Pushing the needle further into the late 80’s personae rich realm of precision ‘old school’ thrash metal wield ‘Forbidden Morals‘ sees the band upping the ambition of their presentation, distancing themselves from the doldrums of post-millennial tropes and locking into their own macabre tale. Tighter machinery and increasingly organic production values make for a path of increasingly notable expression, a rare feat of fright and auld-standard flair which delves more seriously within this well-trodden traditional headspace than most.

Void formed circa 2019 between young fellowes heavily inspired by Black Sabbath (re: “Into the Void”) before the slowly solidifying line-up called their collective taste toward popular thrash metal. From that point they’d kinda launched headfirst into a debut full-length album (‘Horrors of Reality‘, 2023) which was clearly inspired by classic Bay Area thrash metal in general though vocalist Jackson Davenport‘s range crossed from the Spike Cassidy-alikes of the early 2000’s to gang shout backed Souza-esque snarling and even some King Diamond wailing depending on what each song called for. All of their work was charged with a flair for the dramatic within the confines of what I’d consider a neothrash adjacent sound and generally limited by an “upbeat”, charged sound. I don’t know that the tone of a horror narrative came across as potently as their imagery and showmanship might’ve implied but it was an all-pro debut LP that’d been shockingly well-formed in terms of strong revivalist personae, high standard performances, and polished songcraft. If you’re heading into ‘Forbidden Morals‘ deaf to the band’s past I’d remedy that first and at least catch a few songs (“Mirror Maze”, “Voodoo” etc.) off the band’s debut for context.

Do common comparisons to Powermad and Annihilator hold up? On a superficial level, yep. The range and tone of ‘Absolute Power‘ made some sense per Void‘s debut to some degree but don’t expect “Alison Hell” level bravado or anything power-thrash on that debut. This new album changes things up a fair deal and in the process the band collectively push things over the top in an appreciably wild, late 80’s tech-and-power thrash inspired weave which now justifies comparisons to tuneful shred n’ wailing crews a la (earlier) Lȧȧz Rockit, Heretic and Forbidden at the very least. I’ll avoid the tech-thrash tag for the band’s sound just yet, if only for the sake of not building expectations for typical fare in that direction, but one of the biggest boons found here on ‘Forbidden Morals‘ is the tightness of the band’s delivery within the moodier, echoic “live in studio” feeling of its production values. In fact everything gets a bit more raw, voluminous, and dire here on album number two and somehow without losing the exuberant push Void introduced themselves with.

Strapped with crossbows, steaks, and with silver bullets stacked in our chambers we access the gates of ‘Forbidden Morals‘ in view of the curse-bound castle ahead, a realm emptied of life and bristling with blood dappled intrigue via its brief intro (“A Curse”) and opener/title track (“Forbidden Morals”) as the cacophonic and initially claustrophobia inducing production values trample in. While the reverberation of their action almost reads as a downgrade to start the nuance of the overall render will take a moment to include all actors and lock in beyond the march forth. The comparisons to early Annihilator might hold a bit more water via this song as we get our first example of Void stepping up to the pulpit with a solo strangling, shriek and slam first statement though any fan of Heathen will likely be just as stoked. Most fans of classic thrash will be locked onto that first song and recognize the real thing outright but the band’ve only warmed up, picking up on song violent runs and heavier riffs as they cruise through those first five minutes but it is “Gateways of Stone” that truly puts those elements toward an imposing result.

Scrambling through a few tech-heated riffs and shredding through both ears makes for a big show to start but landing within the frantic haul of “Gateways of Stone” (see also: “Nine Blood Moons”) gives us a first glimpse of Void‘s talent with the riff as they string together a set of choice, precision cut riffs as the bones of the song are revealed. The bluster available to the band at full speed via some of their hardest chugged-out rhythms should prove a serious thrill for ‘old school’ thrash heads looking for some additional intensity applied to a classic sound but I think anyone who has their head fully soaked in the minutiae of progressive and technical thrash of the late 80’s will appreciate the sensibilities of these pieces the most. You’ll also be better equipped to identify the kind of neoclassical metal guitar prompted main riff of key single “Judas Cradle” soon after, easily one of the most intense and ear-worming pieces on the full listen. I don’t know if they’ve fully taken their scene to a fully horrified place just yet but those first four or so songs already show the band as a more distinct, eerily authentic force beyond their last record.

Side A didn’t have to try all that hard to get me on board with ‘Forbidden Morals‘ but the impeccably set roll through those first five tracks left a serious impression on me, taking the most intense and successfully melodic ideas found on Void‘s debut and sticking with that higher standard herein. For the sake of consistency Side B is then tasked with showing more depth than power-thrashing, tech-whipping gusto while still making each piece count… a feat even some of the better remembered late 80’s thrashers barely managed. The choice made then is to begin to deal in mid-to-slow paced aggression in a few different ways: “Apparition” does well to balance aggression with a still thrash-adjacent groove creeping through its paces, probably the one piece where that earlier King Diamond (re: ‘The Eye‘-era stuff) mention will make the most sense. That feeling carries through via “By Silver Light”, an entirely believable and surprisingly tuneful thrash ballad and the first of three major spikes of interest within the album’s greater finale.

Stealthily set keys, ghostly chorales, and plenty of gothic horror-edged tones have already effectively characterized ‘Forbidden Morals‘ at this point but it isn’t ’til we strike upon key single “Return of the Phantom” and nearly ~11 minute closer “Beneath… Lives the Impaler” that Void truly erupt beyond Side A leaving the last fifteen or so minutes of the album to impress. While the former is on par with some of the earlier pieces on the album it is the grand finale that’ll likely stick in mind the longest per its demanding stretch and final flooding-out of the narrative; Could we use even more range in the vocals as the album escalates into its second half? Probably, some harmonized or intentionally eerie lines could do well to stoke their haunt further from the street-level grit of Bay Area stuff, but I’d still found Davenport‘s vocals a major carrier for the whole experience and infused with far more personality than prior.

Embiggened via heightened energetic command and given a sound which is both “real” and true to the classic thrash metal peak… this second album from Void is arguably better than their previous record for the sake of clearly sported experiential gains and a sound which is even more authentic to the heyday that’d inspired them. ‘Forbidden Morals‘ is more than an exercise in conformity to classicism, though, as we find this still very young band going for it in terms of developing their own gig while sporting a respectable taste level and honest directive. I’m not sure I fully feel the horror creeping in the shadows entirely just yet but they’re getting there in strides and either way I definitely know a well above-average thrash metal record when I hear one. A very high recommendation.

---