From the beginning, Belgian force Emptiness has been an enigma. There are bands that change their stripes now and again, adding parts or influences long lingering. It’s not uncommon. But this entity is different, adhering to no set structure, operating without any boundaries, and refusing apologies along the way for anyone they isolated.

“Nowhere Speaks,” their seventh album, is about as close as one can get to Emptiness’ earlier years, when there was more of a black metal bend and unforgiving distortion that always bent a little awkwardly. It’s a very major departure from 2021’s “Vide,” their most polarizing record to date, but it also isn’t a return to anything really. The band—vocalist/bassist Jeremie Bezier, guitarist/synth player Olivier J.L.W., guitarist Simon L., synth player Dea Hydra, drummer Laye Louhenapessy—basically punches holes through eras and tunnels to wherever it takes them, and this record, while more in line with, say, “Error” or “Nothing But the Whole,” isn’t wholly familiar. It might seem that way on the surface, but digging deeper reveals that DNA has completely changed. Again.

“Nothing But the Whole (Part 2)” warbles in noise and slow-driving crumbling, falling into “The Threat” that hammers right away, Bezier’s speak-growling pressing. Darkness spreads generously, washed-out worlds spiraling, strange echoes meeting up with charnel winds that smear grease. “Nowhere Speaks” is punchy, the vocals snarling as the playing spellbinds, raining down as Bezier’s howls dig under the skin. Guitars veer off and paint outside the lines, sounds briefly calm before reengaging, and the drums hammer, voices chilling and trailing off. “Darkness Commands” is an interlude with guitars gathering into a sound halo, sprawling toward “Words to Wind,” the longest track, running 8:24. The atmosphere is stormy and impossible to navigate, hiss vocals washing over, an elegance spreading that rolls in soot. The playing blackens minds, cluttering and adding commotion, guitars rising as the gloom settles. Smothering growls call as the guitars scorch, slipping into eternity and letting its ghost expire.

“One Must See All” is a final interlude, sounds gushing, guitars gazing, and a lifeless sky opening, lathering your brain. “When the Whole Arrives” has the bass striking, whispers sending chills down the spine, the pace bursting open and reveling in its thickness. Warbled words spread as the guitars boil, the drums send spatter flying, and the final moments melt away everything. “The Clash of Forces” basks in synth beams before clobbering, the vocals pressing on your carotid artery, the guitars charring. An entrancing fog spreads, chilling the air, the riffs trudging out. “Next in Line” feels bizarre when it starts, unsettling even, gentle guitars luring you in, voices making your mind flip. Things pick up as whispers creep, the drums drive through your chest cavity, and the doom pall leans into closer  “All for Nothing” that hangs in pulsing guitars. Warped vocals make things nausea-inducing, the drums pounding as the guitars sting. Balmy air and mysterious shadows unite, melody floods through corroded gaps, and everything piles on top for suffocation.

“Nowhere Speaks” is another curveball from Emptiness, and the only reason it is one is because the music stretches back closer to the band’s origins. These are the sounds that helped put them on the map, but with strains of their experimentation threaded into the whole. This is another new era for these beasts, albeit one that’s a bit familiar, even if the surroundings are warped in a way on which you can’t place your finger.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/list/emptiness-nowhere-speaks

Or here (Worldwide): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/home/