Sing To Me, Sweet Void (September 27) by Ascian feels like a journey into the deepest recesses of human emotion. There is a wonderful balance of melancholy doom and harsh guttural vocals that make the album the perfect soundtrack for a grey rain filled day.
Shaped by the band’s blend of doom, black, and post-metal, Sing To Me, Sweet Void, is a definitive statement from Ascian. Long time fans will find something to love here, but Ascian goes beyond simply catering to their base by grabbing attention of those, like myself, and hooking one in with a sound that is dark, atmospheric, and broodingly beautiful.
Take “The Odium Palace” for example. Ascian simply just needed to put in parenthesis after the song’s title ‘includes a saxophone’. I would know immediately this song was going to have me hook, line, and sinker. And that it did. From the moment Ukrainian saxophonist, Dima Dudko, appeared in the song, one knows that “The Odium Palace” isn’t your typical doom metal tune. There’s a 70s neo-noir vibe to the song with a touch of sadness and heartbreak that echoes through the track. The sorrow and delicateness of the saxophone balances out the heavy vocals, rhythms and guitars.
It’s this balance of fragility against the sheer weight of crushing riffs that creates a tremendous wall of sound within Sing To Me, Sweet Void. Each track is a nuanced composition where each song unfolds slowly and draws one into a world that is bleak but beautifully constructed. The understated but always present melodies are allowed to breathe and coexist with the heavier elements and create a dynamic that feels fresh instead of monotonous like doom metal can sometimes be.
I feel there is a thematic undertone of loss and emptiness that runs through the album, but instead of feeling repetitive, the band offers a variety of musical shades to explore these themes. There are moments of space and silence, where vulnerability is given room to grow, followed by sudden bursts of intensity that sweep the one away. This push and pull gives the album a tension that keeps one engaged as it unravels.
Lyrically, Ascian doesn’t stick to a single narrative, but themes of despair are ever-present. It’s clear that the songwriting draws from deeply personal experiences, which makes the music feel raw and real. Even without a cohesive concept, the emotional weight behind each track is palpable.
There’s also something about Ascian’s ability to create live-like energy within a studio recording. Having shared the stage with acts like Hundred Year Old Man and Khemmis, their experience in bringing their dark intensity to live audiences seems to bleed into the record. The atmosphere they build feels tangible, as though the room around you grows darker as the album plays.
Sing to me, Sweet Void offers everything you’d expect from doom metal, but with that extra touch that makes it memorable. The interplay between melody and heaviness, the balance of despair with beauty, and the masterful songwriting all combine to create an album that embodies fragile beauty and crushing darkness.
