Misery is commonplace in our world and has been as long as humans have been alive, and hearing that compacted into a serving of doom-encrusted death metal can be a weird salve for your wounds. Buried beneath the decibels and terror can be a strange but timely companion that can show you that you aren’t alone, and the fury can be managed.

Danish crushers Dead Void embody the destruction you feel in your innards, and “Cranial Destruction,” their second full-length, not only is named perfectly but also buries you under its gravity. Over five tracks and a tick under 35 minutes, the band—A. (drums, bass, vocals), K. (guitars, bass, vocals)—waylays with a stockpile of chaos and mental horrors, delivering just enough punishment to keep you off balance but also twist your psyche into a pretzel.

“Regurgitation of Ancient Manifestations” simmer in doom buzz, the playing bashing away as the growls lurch, the guitars turning ablaze and illuminating the darkness. Death growls bury as the playing trudges, anguish and torture served in equal portions, the leads exploding before a mangling end. “Isolation’s Hold” ravages, throaty howls destroying, the intensity scarring permanently. “There’s no escape, accept this fate,” bubbles from hell, guitars roasting and blistering, the pace turning back to muddy terror. Howls sicken as the drums rumble, some final madness torching, screams rippling down your spinal column.

“Phantosmial Stench of Decay” dawns with growls gurgling, a doomy pall stretching over everything, the force grabbing you by the throat and squeezing. Quaking blasts loosen ribs as the guitars scorch, and the crippling doom waves take you under. The title track is the longest song, running 9:49 and pummeling with a glacial pace. The vocals scowl as the tempo destroys, burly hell and a mammoth attack combining, guttural filth smeared down throats. The playing slowly twists necks, aggressive shouts melting, a brief respite giving relief before delirious blazing returns, melting into the dark. Closer “Jeg kan ikke flygte fra mig selv” is a cover of a track from post-punk band the Sound from their 1980 debut “Jeopardy” (originally titled “I Can’t Escape Myself”). This version is monstrous and beefy, growls crumbling as a calculated pace damages flesh. The playing is lumbering and ugly, jabbing as guitars bubble, the drums topple mountains, and the screams feel like glass shards stuck in your palm.

Dead Void deliver doomy chaos that scars you emotionally as it is taking you apart limb from limb on “Cranial Devastation.” This is a massive experience that feels as heavy from the mental strain as it does from the pummeling you take after digesting these five tracks. This smolders and sends seismic energy that tears through the earth and brings down endless piles of rubble on top of you from which you’ll struggle to escape.

For more on the band, go here: https://deadvoid.bandcamp.com/music

To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/

Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/dead-void-cranial-devastation-lp/

For more on the label, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/

And here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/