[Review] Into The Void - ‘Dysphoria’ LP.
Host Note: Welcome to Spiro (a.k.a. The Hype Guy)’s first ever written review for the Inner-Strength Check blog!
If you haven’t already checked out his stellar and energetic content-creator media via The Hype Guy on Youtube, nor our staffer-introduction right here? Well, hop to it, fren.
A reminder as well - Spiro has been putting the call out for some time to help marshall some field support from the broader music community support for struggling Sunshine Coast musical institution Jampot Studios. Headed by local Tom Johnson, this scene luminary could really use any small contributions to the GoFundMe Campaign if you have a buck or two to spare. LINK HERE.
I’ll add in Spiros’s video here once more, just so you have context:
With all that said and done, both myself and Spiro/the ISC team appreciate everyone’s efforts in collaboratively supporting an Australian alternative music scene evidently under long-term and acute hard times.
Thank You.
Now, here’s Spiro’s review!
Peace, Love and Nu-Grunge Reviews From Spiro xoxo - Brady.
ALBUM REVIEW: DYSPHORIA - INTO THE VOID
Author: Spiro
A few months ago, Michigan-based band Into The Void released their second album, Dysphoria!
As I was listening to this album, I couldn't help but feel like this album was addressing mental health themes in a sort of way you don't typically see from other songs surrounding mental health. Delivered with unapologetic honesty, and raw emotive vocals to boot!
I'm here to talk about each of the nine tracks on this (31 minute) album.
‘What I Want’ is the opening track of the album, and just brings you IN with that killer bass riff. Typically, you may think the way this song drops, is perhaps a little “cliche” and “over done”, and while that may be usually true. This song feels less like it borders on “derivative and dated” like you would expect from most music which generally try to harken back to - (I wanna say…) between the ‘06 and ‘09 era? - but feels more-so like a diverse, stylistic love letter to the many bands which have inspired the band’s inception, as they do about three different genres of sound all in one song.
I personally feel like the singer, at points in the verses, sounds much like “If you were to put Corey Taylor into a TOOL song”. Then at points in the chorus, I could really see the Korn inspiration.
Second track, ‘Falling Apart’ starts off with a vocal inhale, then drops into a nice one/two drum beat, and an infectious riff which gets that head bopping! I start to notice a potential trend occurring through this album with those catchy riffs, made to catch the listener’s attention like “hook line, and sinker”.
‘Falling Apart ' serves as the defining track which really sets in the album theme of “dysphoria” with brilliant lyrics like “You dressed up just like a friend, a facade to bring me to bed, don’t know if I was ever free” detailing the internal strugglings and inner doubts of a dysphoric mind.
You really feel the emotive energy of the vocalist, as he applies this very intense sort of whisper-growl technique. This is noted especially where he utters the words, “Don’t know if I was ever free, this addiction is killing me”, performed with such an intense believability it’ll leave you with goosebumps!
The third track, ‘Parental Advisory’, at this point of the album, gives me PRECISELY what I've been begging for! Which leads me to believe this track-listing was thought through rather meticulously. Each song seems to have a special reason for being where it is, on the album.
While the last two songs gave you that hard hit, but then gave you many levels of sound, ‘Parental Advisory’ essentially keeps up this “get up and go”/ energetic vibe all the way through. The riffing, as it gets into the final performance of the chorus, were very nicely placed, as was closing off the song with a wicked crescendo.
‘Slow Burn(Out)’ feels like a nice, stylistic revisit to what we've heard in the first two tracks in ‘What I Want’, and ‘Falling Apart’. I start to notice the Rage Against The Machine influences here, too.
Lyrically, it's direct and to the point, and doesn't try too hard at what it's doing. The drums and guitar riffs lend amazingly to the vocal delivery, giving it that nice natural flow which would seem effortless.
Fifth track, ‘Nowhere Left', leaves you with that sense of familiarity in seeing an old friend - except now, your old friend has a cool job and a loving family! (Excuse the metaphor). I may even go so far as to say this could be the highlight track of the album! (But we'll see…).
Every single band member does precisely what's needed, and honestly - big ups to the drumming. It really shines with this track, and played a big role in bringing this song to life! Whoever thought of adding that epic backing vocal to that final chorus. THANK YOU! YOU BRILLIANT PERSON! ‘Nowhere Left 'is a song the band should be so proud of. It feels like a song you'd remember with the sort of staying-power reminiscent of songs such as ‘Awake’ by Godsmack, or ‘Wait and Bleed’ by Slipknot.
The album title track, ‘Dysphoria’, is a well paced “quick hit” type of song, (2:20 mins), and it progressively gets more and more aggressive. Giving a stellar emotional closing, as the song ends with “I am nothing to anyone”. The bass riffs lend super well to that feeling of mental instability, helping build up the progressive tension of emotion all throughout the song.
Follow-up track ‘The Bull’, acts as a sort of an empowerment anthem after the darker themes of internalised resentment portrayed from the previous track. ‘The Bull’ serves as the “fuck you” song of the album - guaranteed to get a good moshpit going!!
The eighth and second last track, ‘Bite The Pillow’, takes on quite an aggressive and cynical approach with a driving drum-beat, and a bass riff to make for a perfect headbanger of a track! Utilising an almost rhythmic “off-ness” towards the end of the song, gives an overall vibe a sense of eeriness as the song ends.
Finally, ‘Tongue Tied’ serves as the closing track of the album. It features a beautifully done opening guitar melody, giving off that slight hint of hope in all of the themes of darkness and self-doubt. Vocally, many of the notes sung are much brighter-sounding, as if to suggest a sense of internal resolve, overall acceptance of what's happened, and move on with life. ‘Tongue Tied 'gives almost a sort of “happy ending” to all of this, and closes off the album beautifully.
Dysphoria, as an album by Into The Void, overall details stories of internal struggle, toxic relationships, and that persisting dissonance between one's own self-perceptions, versus other’s perceptions of your reality.
SPOOPY pic from the bands’ official Facebook profile.
Conclusion
Dysphoria takes you on a journey of an individual learning how to accept themselves, with peaks and valleys of different emotions accompanying that journey.
Into The Void’s style, often referred to as “Nu-Grunge”, is a wonderfully fresh and new take on the type of music we all grew up loving in our teen years. All the while, the band retain their own stylistic identity throughout, too, via intense, emotive vocals, infectiously catchy riffs, and wildly-ferocious drumming!!
Overall, I'd give the entire album a solid 8/10.