EP Review: Oblivion Throne – Voidgazer

Oblivion Throne – Voidgazer
January 25th, 2023
Blackened Thrash / Speed Metal
Independently Released
Asheville, North Carolina, USA

I’d never heard of Oblivion Throne before until I came across a recommendation for them on Metal Twitter from more than one account hyping up their new EP, Voidgazer. Of course, I missed the group’s 2021 demo Infernal Savage and their 2022 full length Marauder, as I opted to jump into this offering sight unseen, unsure of exactly what to expect, and I have to say that I was quite pleased with the result.

When it comes to metal, I’m a fan of all sorts of different styles, as the material covered on this blog is evidence of, but there’s a particular style that I feel drawn to above all else: blackened speed metal. The intersection of black metal ferocity with the unchecked velocity of speed metal with the relentless aggression of thrash metal drenched in a hardcore punk ethos just sings to the core of my being, and Oblivion Throne sit right there in the center of that intersection with the headlights of four semis barreling down on them from every angle.

In truth the three songs (and intro track “Honorable Death”) showcase a great deal of versatility and variety from this North Carolina power trio. The EP’s first proper song, “Lust for Steel”, features a very old school speed metal vibe, hearkening back to the glory days of traditional heavy metal with fist-pumping riffs, ripping solos, and a vocal melody in the chorus, courtesy of A.C. Savage, that’ll be stuck in your head for quite some time.

The title track, “Voidgazer”, meanwhile presents a much more savage thrash assault that feels like it draws inspiration from the Teutonic thrash scene of the 80’s with the old works of groups like Kreator and Sodom. That said the track does evolve into a segment of much more pure black metal that conjures comparisons to groups like Emperor of Bathory, especially with how the guitars are drowned in reverb, and how the drums from Elanti build into an assault of blast beats.

“Souls Ensnared”, the longest cut on the EP, at nearly 8 minutes in length, returns to the more classic speed metal approach of the first track, reminding of some other modern blackened speed metal acts like Butcher, Spiter, or Norway’s Black Viper. There’s a lot of old school style steel on this track that borders on early thrash metal like Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica or Megadeth. The drums maintain a steady attack while Tommy’s bass cuts through the mix with some killer fills. The song builds, riff upon riff, until it finally climaxes in a relatively epic ending, then just when it sounds like the track is over, it returns to the first riff from the song, closing things together with a nice little bow.

If I had to complain about this EP it would be that it is simply too short. I like EPs as much as the next guy, especially as an appetizer to keep my appetite sated between full length records, but man the songs on this EP are so damn good that I wish it kept on going. Why’d you have to go ahead and stop that shit so soon? In any case, this is definitely a release worth checking out if you dig any of the other bands I mentioned throughout this brief review. With that said I’m going to have to go back and check out Oblivion Gaze’s demo and their first record because this EP kicked ass, and I’m willing to bet that their older stuff does too.

Final Verdict: 4/5
Awesome

Favourite Tracks:
“Lust for Steel”
“Voidgazer”

~ Akhenaten