Void Generator - "We Have Found The Space"
(self-released 2006)
Void Generator - "We Have Found The Space"
(self-released 2006)
From Aural Innovations #34 (August 2006)
On Void Generator's Myspace web site they say that the members are all united by a passion for psychedelia, space rock and stoner music. WOW… is that ever apparent from the music on this album! The band is from Rome, Italy and consists of Gabriele Fiori and Gianmarco Lantaffi on guitars, bass & vocals, Massimo Matrone on synthesizers and Maurizio De Angelis on drums. Their first, self-titled album, was released in 2004 (see AI #29) and We Have Found The Space was released this year.
The songs are characterized by hard and heavy metallic space rock 'n roll that brings to mind other contemporary bands like Litmus, First Band From Outerspace and Space Mirrors, but also Black Sabbath and Monster Magnet, and Norwegian psych rockers WE often come to mind. In fact, some of the vocals are a dead ringer for the singer from WE (either Gabriele or Gianmarco). Anyway, it all makes for a deep space rock 'n rolling stoner metallic party in the cosmos. Throughout the album we're slapped around by blazing guitars, a solid rhythm section and trademark space rock electronics, all of which make for a tight and smoking quartet. The band excel at songcraft and cool lyrics, but also at creating that well structured balance between the core song and taking off into space and developing the instrumental segments and really jamming hard.
There's lots of variety on the album too, with the band exploring all sorts of hard rocking stylistic nooks and crannies. And they're not afraid to ease the pace a bit, alternating between lighter spaced out psychedelic segments before taking off hard 'n heavy again. Among the songs that are a bit different and represent a break from the mercury bursting energy is "Millions Stars", an acoustic guitar driven song that is both dreamy and intense, with a powerful space raga groove. "Pale Sun" is, at its core, an acoustic guitar singer-songwriter track… but surrounded by a foreboding, pulsating drone and an overall ethereal vibe. Additional acoustic instruments join in as the song develops and of course the electronics make their way into the mix. And the album closes with "Stefano T. Must Die", a space orchestral symphonic sound collage sort of piece that would be ideal as the soundtrack to an avant-garde sci-fi flick. All very cool tracks that are are very different from the rest of the album but fit in nicely and demonstrate that Void Generator aren't neatly classified and ultimately defy easy description.
But aside from these tracks, Void Generator are all about ass kicking space rock and heavy rocking spaced out stoner psych. Most of the songs are in the 6-8 minute range which for Void Generator seems to be the ideal timeframe for developing their songs but also getting into some tasty instrumental explorations. It may be easy to find analogies for Void Generator's music, but these guys take the styles they love and make it very much their own. I've got We Have Found The Space high on my best of 2006 list. HIGHLY recommended!
For more information you can visit the Void Generator web site at: http://www.voidgenerator.com.
Hear Void Generator at their Myspace site: http://www.myspace.com/voidgenerator.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz