Scottish progressive post-metal alchemists Dvne have unveiled their monolithic new single, "Abode Of The Perfect Soul." The track comes off of the band's forthcoming new full-length, Voidkind, set for release on April 19 via Metal Blade Records.
Voidkind succeeds in finding new modes of expression for Dvne. The songs are more pointed, direct, and memorable, but the soundscape still has a radiant, evolving, hypnotic flow, the effect achieved with fewer layers of sonic ornamentation, consciously urging closer to Dvne's incendiary live sound. And despite the addition of a full-time keyboardist, Vicart has no doubt about the album's defining feature, "We wanted very distinct left and right guitars, and punchier drums and bass, which would transcribe better live. And the synths needed to be clearer; it's very easy to put five guitars on each side, loads of different vocals and keys, but then you end up watching a band with an album you really like, and the songs sound nothing like the record. That's what we wanted to avoid. As soon as the song starts, we want people to immediately recognise the riff."
Conceptually, the lyrics continue the band's overarching narrative - "following a religious group through the generation line from the beginning to its end" - while Voidkind's extraordinary sleeve art depicts the main theme of this chapter, namely, "a godlike entity seducing and luring followers through their dreams and these followers' multigenerational journey to reach their god dimension."
One book that has been particularly impactful on the band's thought process: 1989 novel Hyperion by Dan Simmonds. Notes Vicart, "It's a very dark Sci-Fi book with loads of interesting parts, so you can go really prog with it, but you can also go more violent and animalistic." Further inspirational touchstones include FromSoftware video game Dark Souls, and the Japanese manga series that inspired it, Berserk, "It's a very cool, violent, psychedelic, medieval dark fantasy," explains Vicart. "We wanted to have these kinds of visuals and aesthetics on this album, in this mix-up of things. Even without the vocals we wanted to evoke something, different places and spaces, and take the listener on a journey."
Vicart further elaborates on the themes driving "Plerõma," the first single from Voidkind, and its accompanying video, which was directed by Vicart, "Plerõma is a concept that has appeared in Gnosticism, Greek Philosophy, and Judeo-Christian religions. In Gnosticism, it is the spiritual universe as the abode of God and of the totality of the divine powers and emanations. It is also the ultimate source of transformation. Plerõma is a key moment of the album narrative where religious followers are consuming the essence of their deity and reach a new sense of awakened existence. It is the first step in their transformation. Musically it also represents something similar to us, as it is a song that is bringing new elements that we didn't explore musically until that point."
Watch the "Plerõma" video below.
Voidkind was recorded between September and November 2023 in Edinburgh at Craigiehall Temple and Byres Farm in Scotland and features the stunning artwork of Felix Abel Klae.
The record will be released on CD and digital formats as well as 2xLP in the following color variants:
- Burnt Skin Marble (US)
- White Black Marble (US)
- Dark Crimson Marbled (EU)
- 180g Black (EU)
- Grey Brown w/ Black Smoke (EU - ltd. 500)
- Crystal Clear (EU - ltd. 300)
- White/Black Dust (EU - ltd. 300)
- Clear w/ Black Smoke (Band Exclusive - ltd. 666 available here)
- Clear w/ Black, Red + Gold Splatter (Band Exclusive - ltd. 200 available here)
Find pre-orders here.
Voidkind tracklisting:
"Summa Blasphemia"
"Eleonora"
"Reaching For Telos"
"Reliquary"
"Path Of Dust"
"Sarmatæ"
"Path Of Ether"
"Abode Of The Perfect Soul"
"Plērōma"
"Cobalt Sun Necropolis"
"Abode Of The Perfect Soul":
"Plērōma" video:
Following the release of Voidkind, Dvne will embark on a European Spring tour which includes shows with Sleemo, Conjurer, and My Diligence on select dates.
Dvne album lineup:
Allan Paterson - guitars, bass
Daniel Barter - vocals
Dudley Tait - drums
Maxime Keller - keys, vocals
Victor Vicart - guitars, keys, vocals
Dvne live lineup:
Allan Paterson - bass
Daniel Barter - guitar, vocals
Dudley Tait - drums
Maxime Keller - keys, vocals
Victor Vicart - guitar, vocals
Occasional Live Member:
Alexandros Keros - bass
(Photo - Alan Swan)
