Band: Bötes Void
Album: Vagrant
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Poland
Label: Independent
Released: October 26th 2024
Introduction
Bötes Void, not to be confused with Boötes Void (Germany), are an atmospheric black metal duo hailing from Warsaw, Poland. The duo consisting of members Nebula (Bass,Guitars) and Zephrael-2 (Drums,Vocals) began their cosmic journey into the black metal scene in 2023. Now reaching out to us from the darkest depths of space with their first EP Vagrant.
Vagrant
Blending equal parts ambient music and atmospheric black metal with a healthy dose of conceptual storytelling, we journey through the darkness of space and time following the tale of Atanarjuat. A cosmic wanderer in search of meaning.
Tracklist:
- Bound to the Abyss
- Vagrant
- Dunkelheit (Burzum Cover)
Bound to the Abyss
The journey begins here and it’s melodic, it’s cold, it’s raw and haunting. I love the riff that starts this track off and leads us into an abrupt but well placed pause accentuated by ambient sounds, that create this amazing atmosphere that we are floating, lost somewhere in space. Circling right back into the furious, yet melodic tremolo picked riffs. Sitting here listening to this song i cant help invision being stranded upon an empty starship, devoid of any other living soul, searching in hopes of finding a destination yet unknown.
Vagrant
This track is my personal favorite of the 3. I want to take a moment and sing praise for the production, lyrics, well crafted guitar riffs and especially the guitar solo on this track. The guitar tone alone in the solo is immaculate and the riffs well crafted. Overall this track is an atmospheric black metal masterpiece through and though and I hope to hear more like this in the future.
Dunkelheit (Cover)
This is an excellent cover, true in form to the original but without any significant changes that make it stand out for me. What does however stand out is that I can’t help but feel that they chose this song as it seems to fit in with the overall concept of the album, its lyrical themes and atmosphere. It’s well placed and very well executed.
Conclusion
The Boötes Void is a spherical region of space found in the vicinity of the constellation Boötes, containing only 60 galaxies instead of the 2,000 that should be expected from an area this large, hence its name. Having a radius nearly 330 million light-years across, it is one of the largest voids in the visible universe, and is referred to as a supervoid.
This band does well at creating an atmosphere and texture worthy of a it’s name sake. The entire EP is extremely well thought out, from its conceptual lyrics to the incredible musicianship. I absolutely loved this EP and am excited to see what more Bötes Void has to offer in the future. Hopefully a full length release awaits us on the horizon.
BMZ Rating: 8 out of 10
Support Bötes Void here: https://btesvoidpl.bandcamp.com/music
What do you think of Bötes Void?
Do you like it or hate it? You can share your opinion on our social media channels, or join us on discord, where we discuss all things black metal! Make sure to follow our Facebook page, Black Metal Zine, to receive notifications when we publish articles. Also check out our Instagram at @blackmetal.zine for concert pictures and more!
