Photo Credit: Jon Pisani
Review by Dylan Williamson
Void of Vision have been my little pet hardcore band since their 2016 album Children of Chrome. I’ve followed them ever since Spotify snuck them on to my Discover playlists, but never felt like they could deliver their best from the studio. Their live show is just on another level. They perform with a stratospheric energy and get a response from the crowd that I don’t see from bands with many times the following. I have even once been injured in a Void of Vision pit to the extent I needed crutches – though this may be condemnation of my clumsiness rather than an endorsement for their live set.
When Hyperdaze was released in 2019, it was fine, but it never clicked with me. I didn’t love the production, I didn’t love the electronic interlude, and while each song did stand on its own I felt that there was a certain spice missing. To be honest, I was expecting Void of Vision to become just another hardcore band on my periphery. I was absolutely not prepared for them to re-release Hyperdaze with two remixes and a feature vocalist on every track. If anything I would have thought they’d do what other bands have done and smash out a fun EP to drag them along the Great Live Show Resurgence of 2021. I was hopeful, however, that this was an opportunity for Hyperdaze to become the album it deserved to be.
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First off, no forty-second intro. Good. I think slow instrumental introductions are generally a waste of my time. I understand instrumental introductions for live sets are important to hype everyone up for the first song, but you don’t need to also include that on the album. Just jump straight in. Year of the Rat is a banger by itself and it doesn’t need to be hyped up. I was a little disappointed to discover that there had been no major remastering, because the album has always sounded muddy to me, but I can make some concessions. Redux is not about a full remaster, it’s about doing something cool.
Void of Vision have picked some awesome collaborators on this tracklist and it’s paid off. We’d already heard the features from Thornhill vocalist Jacob Charlton and from Ecca Vandal. The rest contains other powerful performances including Bobak Rafiee from Justice For The Damned and Kadeem France from Loathe. The features add a layer of excitement that normally only comes from the stage. For instance, here in Brisbane we’ve only just started having stand-up shows again. At a recent local show headlined by Deadlights, vocalists from other bands – including some not even on the bill – jumped on stage to perform during different sets. The crowd went absolutely wild. It’s a novelty: two of your favourites creating something greater than the sum of its parts. On this release, it’s a live set experience from the studio..
This is the trick I think the Redux version of Hyperdaze manages to pull off so well. I get excited when I pick out the feature on each song. I listen more carefully – I think, has that section changed? What did it sound like before? It’s interesting to hear how heavy sections evolve with the addition of a death growl from Bobak Rafiee, or how Decay is basically a new song with Ecca Vandal’s contribution. Redux is bouncy, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it feels like the creators are having fun with their material and their audience. I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since I got my hands on it.
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There are a few adjustments I’d like to make. For one, some tracks get way more value from their feature than others. I can barely pick the Jamie Hails sections on Slave to the Name, for instance, and I can only pick one small section of Ken Koie (of Crossfaith fame) on Hole In Me. If the point is to change up the songs and do something fun, why not include the feature vocalist across the whole track and really let them make it their own? Why not feature additional members of the band and re-record some guitar or drum sections? I feel like this was a missed opportunity to release something bolder.
The remix of Adrenaline improves significantly upon the original, but the real hero is the remix of the title track. For someone who normally has to check their metalcore purity at the door, I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it. It bears little resemblance to the original by the time it’s been remixed, for better or for worse, but the clean vocal hook, the electronic sections and in particular the high-energy yelling/electronic/guitar sections are just too much fun. It actually bears a strong resemblance to Never Satisfied, an electronic/metalcore mashup by megastar streamer Corpse Husband. With the hip-hop and electronic influences further penetrating the scene I suspect that more and more songs will come to sound like the Hyperdaze remix in the years to come.
Hyperdaze (Redux) is a hell of a release and I love every part of it. All the features are terrific and build on a foundation of a solid album. Both the remixes are huge and will find their way onto playlists all over the country. I think that this is an impressive and earned improvement over the original. It brings the feeling of going to a Void of Vision show to life on a studio release, which is an achievement few bands can claim. I think this will be one of my most played records this year.
I give Hyperdaze (Redux) by Void of Vision four stars.
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