Country: U.S.A. (Washington)
Genre: Dissonant Black / Death Metal
Release: 2026
For fans of: Akhlys, Blut Aus Nord, Afterbirth, Artificial Brain, Suffering Hour.
American Voidthrone return with their fourth full-length album, “Dreaming Rat”, continuing their course into the most extreme, chaotic and psychedelic paths of Dissonant Black/Death Metal. The album is a paranoid, avant-garde sonic experience which, beyond the classic brutal forms, incorporates instruments completely unconventional for the genre – from otamatone, jaw harp and didgeridoo, to… spoons and shells! The result is a feverish, dissonant dreamscape that pushes the limits of reason and extreme sound.
Tracklist :
1.II-I. Homeless Animal
2.II-II. Morbid Seagull
3.II-III. Ren Omega
4.I-I. Bergen
5.I-II. Dreaming Rat
6.I-III. First Blood
7.III-I. Surfing the Abyss
8.III-II. The Dying Squid
9.III-III. Worm Spiral
REVIEW : If you’ve ever wondered what a… hallucinogenic dream sounds like, Voidthrone have the answer. “Dreaming Rat” wastes no time and dives you straight into absolute paranoia. What initially steals the show is Zhenya Frolov’s incredible vocal performance. The man literally tries everything: from deep gurgles that recall Will Smith of Afterbirth, to hysterical screams, babblings and manic laughter. At the same time, guitarist Ron builds a chaotic setting, blending absolute dissonance with jazz touches and mathcore bursts that bring to mind bands like See You Next Tuesday. All of it, framed by the outrageous, unconventional instruments they use, creates a highly psychedelic, almost alien atmosphere.
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However, there’s a fairly big “but”. While the album has incredible performative and stylistic depth, it suffers on the compositional side. The band placed so much weight on aesthetics and experimentation that it left the structure of the songs in second place. Once the listen is over, you’ll remember individual “crazy” moments and strange textures, but the overall flow gets lost inside its own chaos. It’s certainly an interesting world to lose yourself in while you’re listening, but it lacks the compositional substance and the “glue” that would make you stick with it long-term. A highly experimental release, strictly for very open-minded (or even a little… twisted) listeners. (Rating: 7/10)
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