{"id":200845,"date":"2025-09-04T23:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T23:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/200845\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T23:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T23:54:09","slug":"void-forbidden-morals-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/200845\/","title":{"rendered":"VOID – Forbidden Morals Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Pinpointing a band\u2019s style of metal is becoming an increasingly difficult task these days. Amidst the sub-sub genres and metal-adjacent infusions, its refreshing to find a band sporting the trad metal tag. Louisiana\u2019s VOID<\/strong> has been kicking swamp-ass and taking names since 2021, self-releasing their thrashy debut Horrors of Reality in 2023. Forbidden Morals leans further into VOID<\/strong>\u2019s horror atmosphere, with the long shadow of a certain European count presiding over the record. Recently picked up by Shadow Kingdom, and buoyed by aggressive touring of their region of the Deep South, VOID<\/strong> seem primed to pour their potent brew of technical thrash and trad metal into my sublimating earholes.<\/p>\n

In a crowded world of metal bands trying to be the next big thing, VOID<\/strong> are unapologetically throwback. Along with leather and hair that won\u2019t quit the 80\u2019s, the sound of the band hearkens back to the halcyon years of metal. VOID<\/strong>\u2019s brand of thrash leans more Bay Area than Germanic, and often is simply high-energy heavy metal, evoking the pre-Load era of Metallica<\/strong>, classic Mercyful<\/strong> Fate<\/strong>, and a whiff of Judas<\/strong> Priest<\/strong>. Catchy, horns-up riffs abound in Forbidden Morals and the guitar solos in particular are worthy of the thrash solo pantheon (\u201cForbidden Morals,\u201d \u201cBeneath\u2026Lives The Impaler\u201d). Jackson Davenport\u2019s vocals are a standout here, running up and down his larynx with abandon in both clean singing and gruff barks. The rhythm section doesn\u2019t slouch either, with a springy bass tone that is an unexpected highlight in the record\u2019s more spacious moments (\u201cJudas Cradle\u201d). A murky production job compliments the album\u2019s concept, but when the riffs pick up the pace and intricacy, I found myself missing the clarity of the low end.<\/p>\n

Forbidden Morals by VOID<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

What Forbidden Morals lacks in studio sheen, it makes up for in sheer enthusiasm. The album\u2019s ten tracks cover a large swathe of ground, and VOID<\/strong> aren\u2019t content to confine themselves to one side of metal. Progressive inclinations pop up in odd time signatures (\u201cBeneath\u2026Lives The Impaler\u201d) horror atmospheres (\u201cApparition\u201d) and rapid fire tempo changes (\u201cForbidden Morals\u201d). The voice-over intro of \u201cA Curse\u201d comes off on the cheesy side, but when paired with a recap in \u201cBeneath\u2026Lives The Impaler\u201d and the very obvious Andrew Lloyd Webber reference in \u201cReturn Of The Phantom\u201d VOID<\/strong> make a convincing case for Forbidden Morals as a horror-inspired album. The Priest<\/strong>-esque power ballad \u201cBy Silver Light\u201d is one of the album\u2019s strongest tracks, featuring a throat-shredding performance by Davenport, and tasteful flamenco guitar that makes for a nice change of pace. After spending a few weeks with Forbidden Morals, it occurred to me the further VOID<\/strong> move from traditional thrash, the better they get.<\/p>\n

\"\"Forbidden Morals is a raucous good time, and quite ambitious, but I can find a few dents in VOID<\/strong>\u2019s Transylvanian armor. The back of the half album (beginning with gorgeous acoustic guitar instrumental \u201cValeria\u201d) is much more engaging than the front, and this lopsidedness makes album relistens something of a chore. While the individual tracks here have an impressive array of structures, using repeating guitar motifs as connective tissue, there\u2019s a frustrating lack of memorable, or even perceptible, choruses. When combined with progressive song layouts (not simply verse\/chorus\/bridge) finding one\u2019s place in the song is difficult, and the songs feel much longer than they are (\u201cGateways of Stone,\u201d \u201cJudas Cradle\u201d). VOID<\/strong> also abuse the fade-out, with four of the eight proper tracks on here featuring this listless ending. Longform closer \u201cBeneath\u2026Lies The Impaler,\u201d which is otherwise a commendable achievement of progressive thrash, is saddled with not just a fade-out but a fade-in as well, an unforced error in my book of album production choices.<\/p>\n

The cartoonish quality of Forbidden Morals\u2019 album cover had me worried this would be an amateur outing into thrashy trad metal, but I\u2019m happy to report VOID<\/strong> have put my worries to rest. If the back half of Forbidden Morals were packaged as an EP I\u2019d be hawking VOID<\/strong>\u2019s wares up and down the n00b cells on my weekly guard rotation. With a bit of work on clarifying their song structure, and the will to end their songs with an exclamation point versus ellipses, I hope to see big things from the Louisiana quintet. As it stands, Forbidden Morals is a solid album for those who like their metal a bit thrashy, a bit classic, and a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong> 3.0\/5.0
DR:<\/strong> 6 | Format Reviewed:<\/strong> 320 kb\/s mp3
Label:<\/strong> Shadow Kingdom<\/a>
Websites:<\/strong> Bandcamp<\/a> | Website<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide:<\/strong> August 29th, 2025<\/p>\n

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