CALL OF THE VOID: “AYFKM” (A REVIEW AND THE PREMIERE OF A SPECIAL VIDEO TRAILER)

 

This post is divided into three parts. It includes a review of the new EP, AYFKM, by Colorado’s Call of the Void, which will be released by Translation Loss on December 16. You’ll also find a brief interview of the band that offers some insights into the music, the EP’s title, and the cover art.

But first, I’d like to ask you to watch the following video trailer for the EP, which we’re debuting here. I’m going to stifle my usual tendency to give away the game and spoil surprises. I think after you see it, and hear it, you’ll be even more interested in the other two parts of this post — or at least you’ll want to hear more music from the EP. I can help you with that, too.

 

THE TRAILER

 

Do you see (and hear) what I mean?

In my own case I simultaneously experienced the desire to recoil and run from the room and a queasy kind of transfixion. I definitely found the music transfixing — it was the visuals that made my skin squirm. And that’s a testament to the imagination and skill of Jakub Moth (Chariot of Black Moth), who made the video.

 

 

THE REVIEW

That video trailer up there was set to the introductory portion of the EP’s first track, “Get In the Van”, a combination of grim, teeth-vibrating riffs and the whine of feedback — which turns into a slow, sludgy, staggering lurch that portends the approach of catastrophe. But what comes after that reveals another facet of the EP’s sound — the hardcore side of the band that kicks into high gear and rampages with fists flying and the smell of blood in the nostrils.

The opening track also reveals a trait that carries through the EP — the band’s ability to mesh hard-slugging trauma with the kind of catchiness that gets heads moving. That comes through in spades on the second track, “Are You Fucking Kidding Me” (which is actually the title track, if you haven’t figured out the acronym already). “Throwing Bullets” doubles down on the viciousness and the speed, but doesn’t let up on the head-wrecking grooves while it’s rushing ahead.

Speaking of head-wrecking grooves, “On and On” probably takes the EP’s prize in that category. It’s anchored by a methodically pile-driving core and a snare beat that snaps at your neck, while still feeling like a sonic embodiment of cold fury and a bad outlook on the future.

By now you will have figured out that the songs on the EP are arranged in a way that provides dynamic contrast. After the mid-paced brutishness of “On and On”, the EP closes with the hard-charging mayhem of “Never Enough”. It comes across something like a steamroller capable of hitting highway speeds — and changing lanes in order to plow through as much oncoming traffic as possible. The song also includes maybe the EP’s catchiest guitar lead, which paradoxically turns the music into something anthemic as well as bruising.

In a nutshell, AYFKM is a raw, viscerally powerful collection of songs that punches damned hard, the kind of music that makes you feel alive even as it tries to put you in the hospital.

 

 

Photo by Brent Boutté

THE INTERVIEW

Jakub Moth approached you about creating the trailer video and took it from there. What was your first reaction to the video? What do you think Jakub took from AYFKM that inspired the outcome of the video?

The first reaction was “woah, holy shit this is really good”. He does a great job of finding part of a song that is really nasty and dirty and interpreting it into a visual. I would love to make this into a full video for this to see what else he would do. I’m not sure what inspired him to match the intro to “Get Into The Van” to a woman gnawing on some octopus, but I like it.

 

What is the overall theme to AYFKM? What or to whom are you saying, “Are You Fucking Kidding Me”?

We are saying that to everyone, including ourselves. The overall theme is “shit we are tired of”. Everything to our internal struggle as a band, constant shootings/terror, and our general distaste for the current state of the human being (even the so called good ones).

 

Tell me about the artwork. What does the artwork symbolize and how does it correlate with the album and album title?

For me it shows a city burning to its ashes as a result of the filth that is within all of us.

 

Is this EP a bridge to what’s in store for the future of Call Of The Void? What’s next for you?

Yes, absolutely. We’re currently figuring out our next tour route and heavily into writing our 3rd record for Relapse Records.

 

MORE INFO AND MUSIC

AYFKM will be released by Translation Loss Records on December 16. It features excellent cover art by Jef Kopp and it’s available on CD, vinyl, and digitally via these links:

http://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/product/call-of-the-void-ayfkm-lp-pre-order
http://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/product/call-of-the-void-ayfkm-cd-pre-order

CALL OF THE VOID on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/CalloftheVoid303/

Finally, here are streams of two songs that have previously premiered — “Throwing Bullets” and “On and On”.