Voidceremony - At the Periphery of Human Realms Demo

The border between the material and the immaterial. 

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on January 24th 2022) 

I’m gonna come clean here, I’m not a particularly big progressive [insert subgenre here] guy. I’ve found that by and large the tag means that the band bearing it either does insubstantial instrumental acrobatics or has songwriting so cluttered it feels incoherent, leading to songs that, while technically impressive, fail to elicit an emotional reaction from me. This is where Voidceremony comes in. Their debut, Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel is progressive not only in the sense of being super technical, but also in that it actually does something interesting with the death metal formula and creates something surprisingly unique, in turn becoming one of my favourite albums of 2020. Following that I’ve been keeping a keen eye on the band, so you can imagine my excitement when they announced the At the Periphery of Human Realms demo. And lo and behold, my excitement was not for naught.
The demo continues in the direction we saw on the full-length, with discordant tremolo riffs being propped by off-kilter drums and an extremely adventurous bass. The two proper tracks here, “Entropic Reflections Continuum” and “Tenebrous Lucidity” are dense and busy without feeling directionless, making for a very rewarding experience on repeat listens. It’s also surprisingly memorable despite the aforementioned density, as evidenced by moments like the syncopated dissonant riffing that leads to that amazing lead in “Entropic Reflections Continuum”, or the tremolo riff that’s driven by the bass in “Tenebrous Lucidity”. It’s honestly quite impressive how much thought was put in these compositions, especially when considering that we’re not talking about a big release of any kind. The band didn’t have to go this hard for a demo, but they did.
The production present here is also worth discussing, seeing as it’s one of the things that surprised me the most here. Contrary to what one might expect from a release of this stature, it sounds as crisp as their debut, striking that perfect balance between clarity and avoiding sterility. The guitars are crunchy, the bass’ rumbling is always present throughout, and the drums cut through just right. It’s a perfect mix that helps one appreciate all of the intricacies in the band’s music.
For all intents and purposes, this is an almost perfect demo, my only complaint with it is the interlude, “Lamentations Incorporeal”. I find it to be wholly unnecessary in the context of an already short demo, and would’ve been better off in a full length. It serves no particular purpose other than slam the brakes for 1,5 minutes without adding anything interesting in the mix. That being said, kudos to them for not doing what most bands do with their interludes, that being repeating a single motif for the piece’s duration.
At the Periphery of Human Realms sees both Voidceremony, and their label, 20 Buck Spin, kick the year off in an explosive manner, with a brief, yet impressive release. It’s a great way to tide over fans until their next big project, and also serves as a great entry point for new fans. Sure, it’s got an unnecessary interlude, but who doesn’t these days?
Highlight: Entropic Reflections Continuum

Rating: 87%

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