{"id":447005,"date":"2026-02-26T17:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/447005\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:04:09","slug":"review-announce-the-apocalypse-void","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/447005\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Announce the Apocalypse – VOID"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Cory<\/a> on February 26, 2026February 26, 2026<\/p>\n

\"\"Artwork by: Noah Zark<\/p>\n

Style: thrash metal, progressive metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Coroner<\/a>, Death, Nevermore
Country: United States
Release date: 27 February 2026<\/p>\n

Want a sure-fire way to blend in among thrash releases these days\u2014or, really, the metal scene at large? Add the word \u2018void\u2019 to your band or album name. Seriously, the term has become ubiquitous. And I get it, the idea of complete nothingness is incredibly metal. But surely we\u2019re ready for something other than a record adorned with a dark, sci-fi-styled cover and the word \u2018void\u2019 in some fashion or another?<\/p>\n

Nope, or at least I\u2019m not ready yet. Thrash is cool, and voids are cool\u2014case closed. Let\u2019s add another void-related album to my pile.1<\/a> The latest release from Florida\u2019s proggy thrash act Announce the Apocalypse, plainly but emphatically titled VOID, continues the narrative of their last album, which wasn\u2019t exactly a hit around here<\/a>. This time around, the band cut the melodrama and spoken word that plagued their previous record and kept things concise. Does this tightened musical focus make VOID stand out among its abyssal cohort? Or is it, too, fit to be tossed into the voi\u2026 forget it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Put on your bullet belt and flip up the bill of your Suicidal cap, because VOID is\u2014ironically\u2014full of thrashy riffs. After a spooky, ambient opener, \u201cFinal Destination?\u201d appears to pose a question to the listener, but instead bludgeons them with big guitars. Tight, winding patterns give way to a simplified, stomping rhythm as guitarist-vocalist Dominic Ryan Gabriel snarls with vigor. I\u2019m already reaching for a tepid PBR! Across the record, those same snarls sit atop riffs pulled from an elevated thrash playbook: beefy tremolos in \u201cHer Remains\u201d; burly, simple-yet-effective eighth notes to start \u201cLive to Forget\u201d; and bouncy, energetic triplets that switch up the rhythm in the second half of the verse in \u201cWaiting for Daylight,\u201d to pick out a few examples. The drums tend to keep the pace high and do their job without much stylistic flair, and plenty of well-played, if somewhat standard guitar leads and solos surface amidst the carnage. The fretless bass performance from Shawn Loureiro, however, is the highlight\u2014with a nice, meaty tone, Loureiro is audible and active in each track, supplying plenty of ear-grabbing flourishes.<\/p>\n

As sharp and polished as VOID may be, nothing about the record is particularly noteworthy or innovative. Rather than build on ideas and take some compositional left turns to earn the \u2018progressive\u2019 tag the band advertise, they\u2019re content to keep the songs compact. And this is ultimately VOID\u2019s biggest limitation. Announce the Apocalypse tend to repeat a riff right up to the point of tolerance; then, instead of morphing or reworking the riff, the band invariably toss some basic harmonization or a lead on top and continue the repetition. It all feels a bit too formulaic\u2014even we meatheads in the pit quickly begin losing steam.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Compounding this issue is Announce the Apocalypse\u2019s approach to structuring the songs. Once a riff has been repeated past its quota, frequently another one takes its place without much of a transition, and similarly has the life squeezed out of it. Add in some recycled verses and choruses and a one-tone vocal performance, and it\u2019s easy to find myself zoning out, gazing at the wall as I mindlessly hold that PBR I grabbed excitedly at the start. Fortunately, a break in the monotony finally arrives with the nine-minute closer, \u201cWake, Nefaricon.\u201d Nearly twice as long as any other cut\u2014and about twice as adventurous\u2014the track features a bridge built of clean guitars and soloing bass, uncharacteristically strong melodies developed over several passages, and, more generally, compositional and textural change-ups not heard elsewhere. Too little too late, perhaps, but \u201cWake, Nefaricon\u201d hints at a more interesting direction Announce the Apocalypse\u2019s songwriting could take in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another day, another VOID\u2014and one that\u2019s not a whole lot more interesting than its name. Still, the performances are tight, and Announce the Apocalypse string together enough solid riffs, leads, and bass growls to make the record worth a spin for the battle-jacketed fans of modern thrash, even if it requires a tolerance for monotony. Me? Well, I\u2019m nothing if not predictable\u2014I\u2019ll surely pick up another chasmic-titled album soon and see you all right back here.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Wake, Nefaricon; Final Destination?
You may also like: Polaris Experience<\/a>, Ursawrath<\/a>, Cryptosis<\/a>, Xoth<\/a>, Jester Majesty<\/a>
Final verdict: 5\/10<\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Announce the Apocalypse is:
\u2013 Dominic Ryan Gabriel (guitars, vocals)
\u2013 Kelly Byrnes (guitars)
\u2013 Shawn Loureiro (bass)
\u2013 Adrian Baptist (drums)<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n