Vølus – Thrown To the Abyss
Release Date: 11th June 2022
Label: Vargheist Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal/Noise.
FFO: Vertebra Atlantis, Sermon of Flames, Plebian Grandstand, Aeviterne.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Artist Justin Volus returns from his 2021 EP Deadstar Illumination as Vølus, the denominated moniker for his solo project, with Thrown to the Abyss, an album that reflects on the esoteric, mythological, and inscrutable with Justin’s artistic touch. One of the more popular trends in the extreme metal world is to adopt themes from fiction and mythology as a method of finding content on which to write music. Examples of this include Nile’s use of Egyptian mythology in almost all their music, or dozens of Nordic Black and Death metal acts using themes and elements from Tolkien’s works as inspiration for names, stories, or context.
Another one of these is the fictional Lovecraftian universe, something taken from the “extended universe” from writer H.P. Lovecraft, who focused on the esoteric, unknown, and cosmic horror. Man’s fear of the vastness of the great beyond was central in cosmic horror stories and their progeny; his puerile thoughts, unable to perceive the ancient ways of the infinite creator-gods’ enormity, form the basis of the horror which pokes and prods at his psyche. No monster needs to materially-form, only exist beyond the shadows, dread overcoming any who attempt to perceive it. Vølus describes the overall thesis of Thrown To the Abyss as macabre, dissonant, atmospheric, and reflective of the paradoxical, quite an allusion to the existential horror that accompanies Lovecraftian horror.
Having only one performing member, Vølus is able to focus all the artistic direction to and through a single source, Vølus himself, not requiring any other influences to mix with the creation of the sound and presentation of the “mastermind’s” vision. Frankly, projects like these (See KVAEN as well) are often well-received as they have a coherence that is satisfactory, especially when projecting themes (especially in a dramatic, literary, or cinematic way) is important to the record’s integrity. This is something that is absolutely transparent in Thrown To the Abyss, as the entire album echoes a consistent musical and lyrical motif, making it a listen which ought to be considered as a whole, as compared to a track-by-track review, something that is much more fun for any reviewer.
The musical elements are furious and wild, blast beats driving, wailing, dissonant guitars harmonizing out of tune, and harsh, but clear mid-scream vocals pervading the atmospheric atmosphere in each song. Panic chords strewn about all sections on guitar accent each measure’s dissonant dread, repeating endlessly in a super-satisfying way. In essence, Vølus has found his own way to make being out of tune sound just incredible, as each and every chord is dramatic and expressive of that unsettling, nauseating dread over which the entirety of the album is based. Sounding so-awful has never sounded so good.
It’s not hard to just sit back and enjoy the entire album from front to back, each track flowing into the next without becoming immediately repetitive, something not easy to accomplish. Largely thanks to the lack of outside influences, Vølus manages to present, in totality, something that is truly an excellent listen, never getting boring, never relenting into lulls and slow melodies. It’s 100% hellish from start to finish, ending after only 8 tracks. Yet, it never feels like it goes on too long, never seems like it becomes uninteresting, most likely a representation of the dissonance never leaving the listener with repeatable tunes to remember. It all just seems to wash over you, over and over and over. Noisy, dissonant, dreadful in its thematic elements, continuously-brilliant, and faithfully-conveying of Justin Vølus’ artistic merit with ease, it might be one of the better blackened death albums of 2022. 
(5 / 5)
