The lifeless corpse of an individual lies rotting in a tree while a flock of crows feast on the flesh—a theme more suited for an upcoming Cannibal Corpse album, but no less true. Here’s a recipe: take three talented Finnish musicians, lock them in a vast forest during winter with the task of writing an album, and the result is Proof of Existence. Not Death Metal, but a convincing and artistically well-developed Black Metal album that grabs you from the very first notes.
We’re used to quite a bit from Finland when it comes to music. Legends like Impaled Nazarene, Black Crucifixion, Unholy, and of course Beherit have already delighted us in the past with their excesses. However, I can say that Void of Hope is something a bit different—Atmospheric Black Metal with vocals that keep you awake like icy knife cuts. Beautifully layered guitar parts with a solid rhythm section behind them, all sporadically supported by keyboards.
Starting with Gift of Life, which begins slowly but quickly brings you into a desolate state, it gives you more of a depressive feeling than a sense of a happy life, through highlights like The Hollow Hymn or T.E.T.L., all the way to the closer Decaying Years. This album is a high kick to your neck and a punch to your kidneys.
And it’s not just about blasting; the keyboard sections woven beautifully through the tracks make everything even darker than initially assumed. The recurring piano piece in Decaying Years adds such a dimension to the song that it briefly puts you in a fictional good mood, making you think that everything might not be so bad—life is tough, but hey, good times, bad times. However, this illusion ends when a voice briefly explains what the person in the tree is thinking, and the tragedy is beautifully framed musically with an almost epic soundtrack.
You can tell that if you put a few Finns in “quarantine,” there’s a good chance something great will come out of it, and Void of Hope is a perfect example of that.
85/100
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