VOIDWARDS: extreme doom act to release debut full-length album “Bagulnik” in December

15th November 2024 0 By Jon Deaux

Extreme doom/drone act VOIDWARDS will release their first full-length album “Bagulnik” on December 27th 2024 via Aesthetic Death.

A first album teaser is now available HERE.

VOIDWARDS are a minimalist, droning, extreme doom act that have existed, under various guises, since 2005.
Amidst frequent line-up changes during this time, the core member{s} have remained true and committed to their vision of creating heavy, oppressive, claustrophobic doom.

This is the first full length album in their 20-year existence. Preferring earlier to channel their music through live performances and improvised recordings.

Historical research into a provincial Russian archive, done by the band’s vocalist, became the inspirational source for “Bagulnik”. This formed not only the lyrical concept, but a thematic flow for the whole album, including the lysergic dirge found in the music itself.

Most lyrics are extracted from the diaries of a rural teacher, named Ivan Perfiliev, who claimed that the swamp on the outskirts of the town possessed supernatural properties. Believing he could hear the voice of the swamp inside his head, constantly calling to him. Somewhere in the depths of this swamp, he believed, lived an unknown ancient beast that howled at the moon and caused great suffering.
In his diary, he also wrote how other people in the locality were suffering from the same condition. It hasn’t been possible to verify the accuracy of these accounts, occurring over a century ago, but through the album Voidwards take us on a sonic journey of the events from the swamp, giving both hypothesis and conclusion to what caused people in this area to have such visions and mental illness.
Ivan was hospitalized with acute psychosis (schizophrenia) but later escaped the institution and ended his life through blunt trauma to his head.

The background noises throughout the album are processed field recordings. These were created at the location of the swamp (as well as in abandoned churches) in this part of northern Russia.

The focus on the cello throughout this album was used to specifically create some of the lysergic haunting sounds.

“Bagulnik” is an exploration in atmosphere and slow, oppressive tones.

It is not an album for the masses, not even for most interested in sub-genres of doom. But for anyone open-minded and willing to explore and immerse themselves in obscure, raw, claustrophobic, minimal, sounds then give it a try…… take this introspective journey of otherworldly music, blending drone and funeral doom.

For fans of: Mordor, Abruptum, Wormphlegm

Tracklist: