Melodic Death Metal has been loosing its touch in the Middle East seeing that a small number of bands are actually pursuing it. Nevertheless, Voice of the Soul managed to revive the genre in the region with their latest release “Into Oblivion”. Whether you’re already familiar with their older material, or simply looking for a worthy Extreme Metal release, this one certainly has what you’re looking for.
Into Oblivion contains five well-crafted originals, topped off with a cover of At the Gates’ famous track “Under a Serpent Sun”. It’s quite noticeable that the band has improved since their previous release “Eyes of Deceit”. The songs’ structure shows more creativity now; the riffs are heavier and more complex, the leads are smoother and more expressive, and the vocals convey a lot more power and aggression now.
One of the things that caught my attention was the intro of the opening track Immolation, which featured a wonderful piano line accompanied by a clean lead guitar after which the song shifts into the heavier part with a rawring low-tuned riff. Among all the tracks, this one was a perfect choice to start the EP with since it gives listeners a clear impression of the bands new sound and what to expect from the rest of the album.
Another song that really caught my attention was Cast Away in Betrayal, which offered a different feel than the other tracks with its more straight-forward structure, faster tempo, and clean breakdowns. Last but not least, the final track is really nice addition to the originals and is unarguably a good tribute one of the genre’s classic tracks.
All in all this release has so much to offer to fans of the genre, and Voice of the Soul are definitely a force to be reckoned with. It’s remarkable that a band based in Kuwait could pull this off in spite of all the difficulties in the region. It’s safe to say that these guys are heading in the right direction, and more is to be expected from them later on. The EP is available for free download here.
