Band's List Melodic Death Voice Of The Soul Into Oblivion

Kuwaiti melodic death metal outfit Voice of the Soul, with their 2010 Eyes of Deceit EP has managed to capture my attention with the perfect blend of melody and aggression resulting in 4 tracks of beautifully crafted tracks. The announcement of the delay in the release of their full length album certainly disappointed me, but they fortunately decided to release newly written material in the form of their latest EP, entitled Into Oblivion.

Seemingly carrying on from the last track of their previous EP, Eyes of Deceit, Voice of the Soul introduces listeners with opening track Immolation with a beautiful piano intro, soon accompanied by the reflective and well-thought out lead guitars, making one unfamiliar with the band almost mistake Voice of the Soul for an instrumental/guitar rock band. But all these impressions are soon thrown apart as the band goes into an aggressive palm-muted riffs, coupled with the double-bass pedalled fury and the tortured vocals of band mastermind Kareem. The band's sense of melody is evident and displayed prominently throughout the album, if not in the guitar riffs that are present, it is via the numerous guitar solos that are present on all the tracks and the usage of dual harmonising guitars. The band also displays their range of influences throughout the album, such as the thrash-metal inspired introductory riffs on Guardians of Genocide.

The presence of long tracks are also a test of their capabilities, and they pass the test easily, with tracks like Wither easily enchanting listeners despite the long track length, lasting 11 minutes. Wither is also the most melancholic track on the album, with the slowed down pace and the presence of stringed instruments at the background, easily jerking a tear or two in the listener with the high-strung emotions. The band also, for the most part up till the middle of the track, travels at a doom-pace on this track. The usage of synths at the background also aids in creating a somewhat depressive atmosphere, further enhancing the listening experience. The guitar riffs somehow even reminded me of the epic track off Watain's latest Lawless Darkness, only placed in a melodic death metal record. It almost seems like Wither is Into Oblivion's answer to Eyes of Deceit's epic closing track, The Light that Never Shone.

One thing that bugs me is the extremely sterilised lead guitar tone on some of the tracks, that tend to sound out of place compared to the rest of the instruments. That being said, there is a marked improvement in the guitar playing department with the absence of the few awkward moments that were present on the previous Eyes of Deceit EP. The inclusion of an At the Gates cover track, Under a Serpent Sun is also a welcome bonus for fans of melodic death metal, and a further display of the talents of the individual band members on their instruments, and despite not being a fan of At the Gates, the cover has certainly caught my attention.

While melodic death metal is one genre that I tend to avoid, with the number of new bands that tend to infuse metalcore/hardcore (genres that I unfortunately, am unable to appreciate) influences into their music, Voice of the Soul has managed to attract me constantly with their progressive take on melodic death metal and I now eagerly await their next release.