Guest review!

Time for the first guest review!

This review is written by Anna Loppacher, the keyboard player in my band Dreamslain



Band: Votov 

Release: I.X.X.I. 

Release date: 14th of August, 2020 

Record label: CDN Records 

Genre: Death Metal 

From: Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) 

Votov formed in 2015; since 2018, they have their current line-up: Chuck Labossiere on guitar and vocals, John Duke on bass and Derrick Kroll on drums. They have previously released a full-length album as well as an EP. Their newest offering is I.X.X.I., a full-length album with crushing riffs and awesome grooves. There are lots of rhythmic changes, which is great. The doomy slow parts create variety and together with the breaks, they make the songs capturing. Both the slow parts, some of the guitar vibratos, and the lyrics such as on Celf have a Black Sabbath-vibe. Overall, however, I would say that Votov’s composing style and sound is within the OSDM range.

The sound is huge, caused of course by good compositions and arrangements, but also through a good and clear mix. There is a nice balance between the instruments, and the vocals are placed well in the mix.
Votov consists of very skilled musicians who are definitively not afraid to let their skills shine. Derrick Kroll’s drum work is excellent; varied and creative. Double pedal is cool, but there has to be more, and on I.X.X.I., there definitively is. I love the focus on cymbals! John Duke delivers bone-crushing bass lines, which indeed give associations to a tank rolling through a battlefield, as the band themselves describe their sound. I think the bass is essential to Votov’s overall sound: it is the drive, the groove which makes their music a huge wall of sonic concrete. Chuck Labossiere’s guitar playing is rock solid, there is great riffing on this album! In addition, he has a powerful growling voice, which is a definitive advantage for the genre, and it fits the songs extremely well.

The lyrics are rather typical for Death Metal, so no surprises there. They fit however nicely into the groove and flow of the songs. The songs are rather short, also within the genre, unless one goes back all the way to Death. I don’t see that as a problem though, because I get the impression that when a concept is finished, the song stops. That way, the songs, also really short ones, like Head over Hooves on under 3 min, don’t seem cut off, it feels more like closure. And it makes me curious about the next concept, the next song – and the next album! Celf is the only song that left me waiting for something more, maybe a slow part, or a solo.

There are some great contrasts between the different instrumental parts, like on Pacify the Enslaved: when the guitar riffing is heavy, slow and slaying, the drums provide speed and groove. Inversely, in a part where the drum focus is mostly on cymbals, the guitar provides speed and groove. This way of making the instruments be in dialogue with each other really lifts the music to another level. In short, I.X.X.I. is an absolute killer album. I look forward for more!

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