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EMPTINESS Returns to the Depths of Darkness with New Album “Nowhere Speaks”
New Album “Nowhere Speaks”
Belgian avant-garde metal collective EMPTINESS are counting down to the release of their seventh studio album, “Nowhere Speaks”. The band has unveiled the full album one day ahead of its official release, offering listeners a glimpse into the record’s distinctive atmosphere and experimental approach. Streamed through the Season of Mist YouTube channel, the album opens another gateway into EMPTINESS’ dark universe, where the boundaries of extreme metal continue to be challenged.
Set for release via Season of Mist, “Nowhere Speaks” marks a return to a denser, heavier, and more physical sound after the introspective and minimalist direction explored on the band’s previous album, “Vide” (2021). Recorded in the studio after four years of preparation while preserving the intensity of a live performance, the album communicates not through a traditional narrative structure, but through layers of atmosphere, tension, and sonic textures.
One of the album’s most striking elements is the connection it establishes with the band’s cult 2014 release “Nothing But The Whole”. The opening track, “Nothing But The Whole (Part 2)”, begins by continuing the riff where the previous album appeared to abruptly cut off. At the end of the new record, the band returns to the opening riff of that same 2014 release, creating a deliberate cycle between the two works. With this structure, EMPTINESS are not simply looking back at their past, but reshaping the idea of continuity within their own musical universe.
“Nowhere Speaks” continues the band’s refusal to be confined by conventional genre boundaries. Drawing from their death metal and black metal roots while developing increasingly experimental, dissonant, and atmospheric elements over the years, EMPTINESS creates a unique sonic landscape on their new album through dense guitar textures, dark electronic layers, and dynamic drum arrangements.
The album’s compositions and production were handled by founding members Jérémie Bezier and Olivier J.L.W., while guitarist Simon L., synth performer Dea Hydra, and drummer Laye Louhenapessy contributed to the arrangements. EMPTINESS’ long-standing approach of maintaining a complete unity between sound and visuals continues throughout the “Nowhere Speaks” era, extending from the album artwork to the production details.
Founded in Brussels in 1998, the band has approached extreme music not merely as a genre, but as a dark territory waiting to be explored. Throughout their career, EMPTINESS have established a unique position within the underground metal scene with albums such as “Guilty To Exist” (2004), “Oblivion” (2007), “Error” (2012), and especially “Nothing But The Whole” (2014), while continuing to expand their musical boundaries in the years that followed.
The 2017 album “Not For Music” represented a significant turning point, as the band embraced darker influences beyond the metal spectrum, while “Vide” (2021) stood out as an experimental work shaped by French-language vocals and a complete absence of distortion. Following these different creative phases, “Nowhere Speaks” represents EMPTINESS’ return to a more intense and powerful form of expression.
The album features 10 tracks with a total runtime of approximately 42 minutes. For listeners drawn to bands such as Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Portal, and Oranssi Pazuzu, who constantly push the boundaries of experimental and extreme music, “Nowhere Speaks” stands as one of the year’s notable releases with its dark atmosphere and unconventional structure.
EMPTINESS – “Nowhere Speaks” Tracklist:
Nothing but the Whole (Part 2)
The Threat
Nowhere Speaks
Darkness Commands
Words to Wind
One Must See All
When the Whole Arrives
The Clash of Forces
Next in Line
All for Nothing
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