Void of Sleep - The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare

Angry Metal Guy 60

Italy’s progressive sludge toilers Void of Sleep unleashed an impressive debut courtesy of 2012’s gripping Tales Between Reality and Madness, dropped a less impressive sophomore album in 2015’s New World Order, before returning to form on the darker progressive explorations of 2020’s Metaphora. Perhaps not helped by a sluggishly sporadic pattern of recorded material, Void of Sleep’s bright talents remain hidden in obscurity, ensuring a low profile. Which is a damn shame, as their albums offer plenty, especially the debut and Metaphora. Out of the blue, Void of Sleep re-emerge for the first time in over five years, locked and loaded with their wordily titled fourth album, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare. Can Void of Sleep emerge from an extended slumber to flex their songwriting muscles and write an album to finally grant them the exposure this gifted unit deserve?

Void of Sleep long refined the burly, hook-laden ball of energy of their debut into the darker, introspective, progressive rock channels of their more recent material. Each LP shares familiar elements while remaining distinctive. Charting complex, winding arrangements and post-metal swells, without abandoning their psych flourishes and chunkier sludge rock heft, Void of Sleep continue spiraling down increasingly melancholic, spacey and adventurous wormholes. Musically, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare is most similar to their previous outing, burrowing synth-steeped atmospherics and probing instrumental jams into their muscular sludge rock and progressive foundations.

Whereas heavier use of synths, tribal infused rhythms and hypnotic instrumental segments are ever prevalent across the album’s lengthy individual movements (barring a short introduction piece), Void of Sleep maintain shreds of the hooky, surging sludge rock fury of their previous work. “Misfortune Teller” harkens back to the versatile and heaving sludge blows and melodic sensibilities of their past endeavors to solid effect. It’s an aspect of their sound dialed back, with their more aggressive, heavier roots occasionally missed. Delving deeper into proggy, post-metal realms, Void of Sleep shift the balance towards slower-burning, more elusive songwriting traits and a sound that is less immediate, perhaps suffering slightly as a result. The album’s meandering beginnings, reflected on ambient opening movement, “Dark Gift,” and feeding into the drawn-out build-up on the otherwise impactful prog-sludge and propulsive dynamic shifts of “Omens from Nothingness,” make for a curiously sedate start. Void of Sleep strongly favor lengthy compositions, including four of the album’s seven songs extending beyond the eight-minute mark. This isn’t exactly new territory for Void of Sleep, this time unleashing their longest album to date.

The marathon four-song trek from “Lullaby to Woe” to closer “A Demon In My View” comprises a large chunk of the runtime. Despite a multitude of interesting ideas and stellar moments, the lengthy stretch is a mixed bag. “Lullaby to Woe” features nods to Tool and The Ocean, weaving pulsing rhythms and a progressive ebb and flow arrangement, fed through a burly, stoner prog filter. Killer hooks and addictive grooves reside, marred by a bloated, sample-laden mid-section impacting momentum, temporarily drifting from the song’s strengths and potency. Quality musicianship and surging climax aside, “From the Unborn Mother” loses focus and lacks a gratifying hook to nail the landing. Not without minor issues, the closing duo fare better overall. Following a creepy carnival-esque intro, “Phantoms of Nihil” takes a while to hit its stride, eventually showcasing its heavier wares, progressive strokes, and booming vocals. Burdo’s thick, accented vox may prove divisive, though remain an asset, juggling dual guitar duties while belting out impassioned, rugged cleans and occasional heavier screams and bellows. His versatile and emotive delivery makes a punchy impact, sounding rougher and more seasoned against the album’s bleaker tones. Though a few misguided moments and awkward vocal phrasing arise, it’s another solid performance.

Void of Sleep remains a gifted bunch of sludge-slinging progsters and underappreciated unit in the modern progressive metal and sludge scenes. The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare may lose some of the focus and addicting songwriting spark of their stronger efforts, yet features enough engaging elements, a gritty delivery, and subtly infectious hooks to stay afloat. An organic, punchy production job and excellent musicianship also shine. Unfortunately, pacing issues, ambition occasionally giving way to meandering misadventure, contribute to bloat and faltering cohesion to an otherwise intriguing batch of moody and darkly mysterious progressive tunes.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Aural Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

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