Emptiness
Nothing But The Whole

THE REVIEW

Among the many valid albums released in 2014, this wonderful work stands out: "Nothing But The Whole," a platter conceived by aliens who came to Earth to delight us with their sonic masterpiece.

But let's take a step back. Emptiness is a Belgian band that already has four full-length albums (including this one). Their musical offering is a reinvented death metal mixed with shoegaze, noise, post-metal, and industrial atmospheres. Described this way, it might seem to the uninitiated that they're dealing with yet another band mixing various genres randomly without achieving anything, but in truth, that's not the case at all. The sound is lived, complex, visceral.

Emptiness is one of the most personal groups in the current metal scene, in this sense the tracklist of this "Nothing But The Whole" speaks clearly, continuously surprising us and delivering incredible compositions. Emptiness's music is aimed at a small niche that can consider itself lucky to have managed to empathize with a group as extraterrestrial as this one. It's not an immediate album, and it takes time to metabolize it and fully understand all the nuances and touches of class scattered here and there in the tracklist: elements that will probably disincentivize consumption by much of the metal audience, but on the other hand, they will make those seeking something innovative and truly unique happy.

Track-by-track analysis would be pointless; have patience and dedication and you can enjoy a jewel with a strong personality. An indescribable album, truly.