Emptiness continues to explore the darkness.
Signed to Season of Mist for nearly a decade, the Belgian band led by Jeremie Bezier (bass/vocals, ex-Enthroned), Olivier J.L.W. (guitar/keyboards, ex-Enthroned), Simon L. (guitar, Possession, Necromantic Worship), Dea Hydra (keyboards, Soror Dolorosa), and Laye Louhenapessy (drums, Abysmal Descent, Putrid Offal…) will release their seventh album, Nowhere Speaks, in 2026.
The album opens with Nothing but the Whole (Part 2), a direct echo of the track and the 2014 album of the same name, which briefly plunges us into a nightmarish atmosphere before suddenly becoming more stripped-down, leading us to The Threat and its heavy, abrasive rhythm section even before the first oppressive vocal parts kick in. The growls accompany us as the riffs pave the way with dark touches, then Nowhere Speaks suddenly takes over, displaying a different yet still ethereal dynamic that unfolds as much in the heavy foundation as in the airy harmonics infused with unhealthy but haunting Black Metal, before a much softer break. The track resumes with this Post-Rock approach, leading into Darkness Commands, a one-minute interlude where oppression and majestic sounds blend before giving way to the long, haunting Words To Wind, which settles in and weaves its own darkness into our minds. The track moves at its own pace, offering a few bursts of speed to energize the dark veil and contrast with the eerie keyboards found throughout the composition – such as after the central, horrifying passage that tightens the atmosphere and ultimately leads us to One Must See All, where that coldness returns for a fleeting moment. When The Whole Arrives takes over, slowly plunging us into its limbo and filling us with as much wonder as it does fear, whether through the haunting bass or the ghostly choirs, before shifting to The Clash Of Forces’ much more energetic groove, an aggressive yet catchy track that still reserves moments of floating. It’s also fairly short, barely exceeding three minutes before handing the baton to Next In Line, where the band offers a very ambient opening that carries the first two-thirds of the track, before allowing the rhythm section to suddenly grow heavier, leading into All For Nothing, the final track that returns to aggression but also incorporates more hypnotic elements to conclude the experience, not without being buried under waves of double-pedal drumming and massive riffs.
Emptiness has always been a unique project, and its evolution on Nowhere Speaks takes a form that confirms this more than ever. While its roots remain firmly planted in Black Metal, the band doesn’t hesitate to infuse them with Post-Rock nuances that make them grandiose, or at times even far more unsettling than mere darkness…
90/100
