Coming to us hot from the cold Canadian city of Winnipeg is the psych rock hexad, Holy Void. The band is gearing up to release its second full-length record, All Will be Revealed In Time, on Friday the 13th (in December).
The band tells me the new record has been five years in the making and reflects the paranoid, despair, and uneasy meanderings of a solitary mind during those not-very-fun isolated pandemic days of the early 2020s.
All Will Be Revealed In Time is also the first Holy Void record to feature two new members, Mirina Vanderveen (violin) and Rob Knags (cello). The strings add a richness and harmonic depth that markedly evolve the band’s earlier sound.
Holy Void’s new record is psych from the Dark Side. It’s a bit brooding, leaning into goth and the more menacing aspects of shoegaze. The opening track, “Too Close To The Sun,” has a driving beat and blistering guitar, as the droning quality of the sounds hammers the listener into submission.
“Dead” reminds me of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club—filthy, dirty rock fit for a biker bar or Sons of Anarchy episode. “Fear In Your Mind” brings a lighter touch to the guitar, but the rhythm section is still punishing and loud.
“Passing” is the record’s first moment where the tempo slows, and the violin and cello are more noticeable. This is what passes as a ballad for Holy Void, but rest assured, there’s still very much a haunting quality to it.
“Golden Lies” is a short and exquisite track. The guitar tone and riff are unique, maybe similar to Ty Segall and the tricks he has up his sleeve.
“The Restless” bounces and dances to a retro beat, followed by the crunchy blues of “Love,” where Holy Void summons the demons from the cold dark of a Canadian night and puts them on full display. “In The End I’m Nothing Anyways” is another solid track in which the band packages beautiful melodies in a dark exterior.
The record closes with “Salvation” – a fitting title to end with. After a record’s worth of bittersweet melancholia, Holy Void makes a plea for forgiveness.
I enjoyed All Will Be Revealed In Time, and it should be a good pick for fans of popular psych-rockers like Thee Oh Sees, KGLW, Brian Jonestown Massacre, SLIFT, and The Black Angels.
If you trace Holy Void’s lineage, I assume you’d end up back at The Velvet Underground by way of The Black Angels. They’re a psych band that revels in the dark arts and a gloomy mood, which is evident in the track titles and the droning quality of their sound. All Will Be Revealed In Time is excellent music for a rainy day or any day you want to embrace your inner goth.
Pre-order All Will Be Revealed In Time by Holy Void on Bandcamp here.
Holy Void: Bandcamp | Official Website | Instagram
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