Ultra Void Premiere “Mother of Doom” Video; New Album Coming Soon
Now pared down to a solo-project from Jihef Garnero, Brooklyn’s Ultra Void herald the coming of their new album with the new single/video “Mother of Doom.” Garnero, who was one of three songwriters and served as bassist/vocalist/mixer on Ultra Void‘s 2021 self-titled debut EP, steps forward as multi-instrumentalist, frontman and auteur, and the sound of the band, which had been a swampy, sludgy kind of heavy rock, groovy but able to veer into and out of screamier and more aggressive sludge, has taken a turn for the dark.
At just under seven minutes, “Mother of Doom” rumbles to life and fades in the slog of its drums. The tones are punchy and fuzzed and layered (obviously), with a solo kicking in hard after the first minute ahead of sampled moans presumably of pleasure. Garnero rides that groove for a bit and brings the first vocals at about 2:05, also layered, a kind of harsh and clean chant combined, cultish, forward in the mix, but fitting the slog vibe of the song as a whole. They may take some getting used to, but if you can go with it, you should. The verse ends and there’s a buried laughing sample, some purely Cathedral-style spoken word lines, and then the title hook is delivered for the first time, another solo coming in behind for the middle section of it.
There’s a bridge and the line “Are we dying?” leads to a longer solo over the central riff, which is hypnotic in kind with the atmosphere of lysergic, somewhat deranged, lurch. “Mother of Doom” cycles through its chorus again at around the six-minute mark, and finishes there with residual noise, cutting to silence where the next song on the album — title TBA — might kick in. One of the aspects that made Ultra Void‘s first outing so engaging was the band’s ability to explore different influences in their songs while tying them together via tone and general atmosphere. I don’t know what the rest of the band’s next release will sound like, but “Mother of Doom” is a roil of psychedelic doom that’s bleaker than anything the prior EP had on offer. What it may foretell remains a mystery for the time being.
Classic horror and B-movie clips compiled together by Spencer Maxwell make up the video, and while Ultra Void aren’t the first to employ the method — also I’m pretty sure I’ve seen at least one of these movies on Mystery Science Theater 3000 — it does fit better and more hypnotically with “Mother of Doom” than for many, and the effects manipulation put on the track make it even more suitable, while familiar. In any case, I don’t think anyone’s claiming to be first on anything here, but it’s a fascinating turn from the EP — not to mention the complete reconstruction of the band — and I’ll be interested to hear the rest of the record when the opportunity may present itself.
Till then, enjoy:
Ultra Void, “Mother of Doom” video premiere
When I originally recorded the song it was only bass and drums. On the verse the chords kept ringing in expanding waves. Hitting the riffs on the 1st and the 4th beat made it sound ominous and disorienting. I had a mental picture of a cracking glacier with the wind blowing ferociously. I knew the theme of nature was the DNA of the song but I didn’t have a clear direction yet.
Then I thought about the ancient pagan tribes and wondered what life would be like if a thunderstorm for instance would be seen as a punishment from the gods. So “Mother Of Doom” is just that. A little horror story of a pagan society trying to survive by way of sacrifice to the mother of us all.
It is a reminder that even though we know better these days we’re still not in charge. Experiencing the lockdown was truly brutal in that regard. It almost happened overnight. All of the sudden you were on your own trying to figure out the best way to survive knowing that the immediate future was a blurry concept at best. Dealing with somber thoughts was expected:
“Are we cursed, are we dying, are we lied to, is this living ?”
The idea of an offrand or sacrifice is also my way of saying too much compromise can kill a man.
You’re trying your best to navigate the ups and downs – “play with us, play against us”, trying your best to make things work and you woke up one day feeling like some “broken souls”.
The video was edited by Spencer Maxwell @orangeechofilms. I am really excited to share it. It’s a work of art. It’s like the doom is pouring out of every frame.
