By Matt Hinch
Call of the Void were formerly known as Ironhorse. Now, I used to live behind a country bar named The Ironhorse Saloon, so the change in name is a relief as this Boulder, CO band is the furthest you can get from country.
Their Relapse debut, Dragged Down a Dead End Path is a fireball of violent tendencies exploding across the listener’s consciousness like a Texas fertilizer plant, burning out of control for its entire length. Their concoction of crusty grindcore burns hot, belching caustic smoke turning their environs into a sludgy mess.
“Failure” hits the ground running with spectacular tone in the vein of Kylesa but the speed of the most vicious grind. The anthemic chorus of “Tears of the damned!” is gang shouted and led by vocalist Steve Vanica and his paint peeling roar. The next 22 minutes follow suit with razor-sharp riffs cutting through savage sludge and devastating d-beat grindcore as laid down by guitarist Patrick Alberts and bassist Alex Pace. Drummer Gordon Koch puts on a veritable clinic in speed and style, blasting and berating his hit with relentless fury.
Combining the aforementioned tone with the unsettling aura of Pig Destroyer and more Converge-isms than you can shake a stick at, Dragged Down a Dead End Path does exactly as the title suggests. Call of the Void drags the listener, kicking and screaming, toward a gruesome end in a shallow, lonely grave they had to dig themselves.
Dragged Down a Dead End Path is sludge-driven grindcore of the highest caliber sure to whip any red-blooded crowd into a frenzy. You’ll be left broken and exhausted by Dragged Down a Dead End Path but it will boil your blood, compelling a lust for more. Heed the Call of the Void.
(Relapse)
