DVNE

This year I wanted to review a lot more albums that are within the now, to make up for my lack of 2023 album reviews. As such, I elected to always review an album that has piqued my interest from this year, or at least plan to review. That is also why a lot of my listening habits have been recorded from this year, as I wanna have a lot of albums under my belt for me to talk about. One such album I have planned to discuss was Voidkind by Dvne.

Dvne is a newer progressive metal group hailing from the UK, operating under more sludgy and post metal territories as well, much like groups of The Ocean, Intronaut, Baroness, and of course, Mastodon. While they may not be as popular as other bands in this newer wave of progressive metal, they have at least caught the prog community's eye, which I think is something quite special. The more prog the merrier. And this new release from them certainly did catch a few more eyes in other communities as well, such as RYM which has it at #55 in their current 2024 chart. While it may not be on the front of said charts, Dvne's Voidkind being in the top 100 is nothing to scoff at.

However, I have my own personal ideals with this album that is away from any charts or other ratings.

I do quite like this record in a couple of ways. For one, I kinda love how the songs sort of progress into each other, almost as if the entire album is some big suite. I have said time and time again that I love albums that just feel like one massive song, so Voidkind definitely scratched an itch in that regard.

Not only that but this is probably one of the cleanest sounding records they have had yet. The quality of the production, in my opinion, is honestly superb. Sure, clean production is sort of the norm in 2024, but there is definitely a jump in quality from Etemen Ænka to this. Metal Blade definitely has some good producers under their belt, that is for sure.

Lastly, most tracks (aside from Path of Ether) are consistently great. I don't think the band has had this strong of a tracklisting since their debut record, so having this amount of greatness is quite surprising honestly. They do reach a peak though with the one two punch of Plērōma and Cobalt Sun Necropolis. We'll talk about them later.

However! The consistency of these good tracks honestly sort of backfires in a way. You see, while listening to this record throughout the week something about it felt off. I knew I liked it, in fact my initial reaction was that I loved it a lot, even considering putting it as a 4.5/5, or even in a masterpiece status, but the more I got into it I felt a strange sense that something was missing from the record. So, I decided to relisten to their previous album, Etemen Ænka, to see if something was wrong, and that was when I found what was missing. The tracks felt like they were quite stagnant from each other. With Asheran and Etemen Ænka there was a sense of forwardness from one song to the next, oftentimes in subtle but ultimately unique ways. Here though, most songs feel as though they are merely repeats of the last, just with different times and titles.

In fact, I think most of the highs this album has are double edged swords. While the production IS better, their previous records more dirty, and actually more sludgy sounds gave them a lot more charm in my opinion, and made the songs have more weight to them. The only song I can pin as being much more in-line with dirty production stylings is Cobalt Sun Necropolis, which I really enjoy. It is nearly ten minutes of a pure frenzy, rising and rising through a series of climaxes that I highly enjoy, capping off with an almost abrupt end as the sound quality slowly loses itself in the wake of its own intensity, soon just devolving into nothing but noise, until finally it cuts out and into a long, uncomfortable silence. It is almost as if the record itself was put down like a dog, clinging on its last leg of life before the void takes away. It's cathartic, crazed, and absolutely amazing. Really the only problem with it is that it is at the tail end of the record, and I do really wish its production and mixing styles were used on basically every track here.

Though, on the reverse, the track that I think benefits from the lack of rawness in the sound quality is Plērōma. It is a bit shorter, and certainly more anthemic than Cobalt Sun, but I think it works really well. It has this almost 'live in the studio' charm, where the song builds up into the first verses and riffs, almost as if the band themselves were building up hype for their listeners. This is really where they shine in terms of instrumentation too, as they really do go fully into a more stylistic light. Also, I really enjoy the focus on the more clean vocals. Clean vocals in metal are always a treat in my eyes, and these aren't nothing to scoff at. I say it's quite the impressive feature here.

But yeah, all that aside, this record feels less like sludge metal in all facets, and more like sludge metal in design. There is barely any grim and grit shown upon here, which I think is quite disappointing. It takes two steps forward from its predecessors, but it is five steps back from the starting line. In fact?I might prefer their older records.

There are certainly a lot to like here, and a lot to love too. I don't think this is anywhere below a 4/5 in all honesty, but it certainly is a bit of a lower 4. I think the band should continue with some of the good things found on this record, but I do also want to see more of a core sludge metal sound that worked very well with them in the past.

Best tracks: Plērōma, Cobalt Sun Necropolis

Worst track: Path of Ether

Dvne (presumably pronounced like "dune," though Google Translate also tells me it's Bosnian for "days ago") is a Scottish quintet, and they're one of the more talked-about bands on the parts of the Internet where I spend my time. Voidkind is their third full-length album, coming three years after their last release. Dvne is a band I've listened to and contemplated covering before, but for whatever reason Etemen Ænka, their 2021 album, just didn't quite catch my fancy. (2021 was also an exceptionally good year for the type of music I like, so they had some stiff competition for my attention. 2024, in contrast, is shaping up to be a slower year for me.)

Disregarding my above disparaging of the current year, Voidkind is a legitimately good album. Dvne's sludge metal roots have gone in a more atmospheric, post-metal-type direction. Normally, I'd be a bit wary about that?unless it's preceding the word "punk," the prefix "post-" is often an indicator there's a higher risk I'll be a bit bored?but the songwriting is smart, and the playing is crushing and dynamic.

The album kicks off with "Summa Blasphemia", and it's got an immediately-engaging rolling rhythm. There's something slightly askew about the meter, and I really like the band's guitar tones. As the song builds to its climax, there are some subtle but powerfully effective atmospheric touches that add to the drama and impact.

"Eleonora" has a jangly, tense arpeggiated opening. The vocals here are more delicate and match the nervous feel of the unconventional guitar line. Dvne does a great job of building the intensity of this piece across its nine-minute runtime.Things quiet down around the song's midpoint, and there's a lovely, jazzy little bass groove that keeps this cut moving. 

Things explode into high gear immediately on "Reaching for Telos". The vocals are a little post-hardcore-y for my taste, but the underlying composition is clever and satisfying. I'm also a big fan of the quieter moments; this band does a great job at weaving together guitar lines in a way that feels purposeful. "Reliquary" keeps the high-octane momentum of the previous cut going, and it features more smartly-tangled riffs and licks. Bits of doom metal crop up here, and that sort of variation is appreciated. Atmospheric sludge is a genre that can become samey to my ears quickly.

"Path of Dust" is a 90-second breather of quiet guitar that serves as an introduction to "Sarmatæ", where distortion blasts back to the forefront. There's a vaguely-Middle Eastern vibe to the guitar parts, which I like a lot. It builds to an especially strong apex, with guitar and bass anxiously jumping around each other. "Path of Ether" is another 90-second interlude. It functions as a necessary breather, but it probably didn't need to be 90 seconds.

Another impactful riff gets things going on "Abode of the Perfect Soul", and it's around here that I was finally able to articulate why I often struggle to really enjoy bands like Dvne. In isolation, these songs are all good, but I usually listen to whole albums at once. There is something of a limited sound palette, and song after song after song of this can lead to things bleeding together. None of the songs on Voidkind are bad. They're just kinda similar. And this is one of the more distinctive songs on the album. There's a ton of dynamism, varied riffs, and vocals in different styles. It's probably my favorite on the record.

"Plērōma" slowly fades in, and it's not my favorite cut. Something about the vocals?especially in the chorus?rubs me the wrong way. This cut is a bit major-key for my taste, and it doesn't really suit the band's style too well. The bridge, though, is strong, with more subtle and creepy atmospherics.

Voidkind ends with the ten-minute "Cobalt Sun Necropolis". After a slow, ringing solo guitar intro, the verse has a determined, marching feel to it, with an emphasis on the melodic, multilayered vocal performance. As with elsewhere on the album, there's a good, natural build in this song.

Dvne's newest album is pretty good. I don't think it's sonically varied enough to justify its hourlong runtime, but aside from "Plērōma", there are no obvious songs to cut. If you're looking for some sludgy, post-ish prog metal that blends pummeling distortion and lighter melody, this is a strong choice.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/04/29/album-review-dvne-voidkind/