Calm acoustic guitar melodies smoothly progress and are built up by a second layer of faster strings, until powerful drum beats and atmospheric riffs jump out of the darkness and conquer the sound space, along with the aggressive shriek of Ukrainian Dmytro Kvashnin. Thus begins „Behind the Stars“ – the first track from the debut full-length album of the Ukrainian-Polish black metal band Three Eyes of the Void, „The Atheist“.

„The Atheist“ is one of those a bit peculiar albums that initially confuse you a bit in the beginning with its choice of inspirations, but after the first listen it’s kind of hard to put it away. You are mesmerized.
In their debut full-length, the musicians combine atmospheric black metal with more progressive metal sound, even include  jazz elements, and even more weight is achieved with the pulling of the  thinnest strings of post-black metal, delivering a specific level of strong and emotional expression. Not without some very pleasant surprises, of course.

In the third track of the album – „Descent“, we can hear the sound of piano and saxophone, reminiscent of the work of other Ukrainian heroes – White Ward (and no wonder – Dima Dudko from the mentioned band plays the brass instrument), and the whole song is extremely finely composed , providing a symbiosis of ethereality and heaviness that definitely sends the listener flying towards obscure destinations. With Dmytro Kvashnin’s furious high-pitched harsh vocals and the  clean singing of Andriy Tkachenko against the  cutting instrumental that maneuvers between different moods and tempos, including a noir atmosphere like it’s coming  from an old piano bar, this song, in my opinion, has a key meaning to the title and carries a very specific charge, distinct from anything else that can be heard.

And in „Delirium“ – the penultimate track, serving as a bridge to the album’s finale, the light and unobtrusive instrumental with ritualistic monotone choirs in the background and ambient owl sounds are also a hint of the creativity of the musicians and add to the atmosphere of the title. In general, there IS variety to dwell into, and it is beautiful.

As for the meaning behind the album and its lyrical value – all the songs reflect on the helpless state and confusion of man, who, realizing the absence of god, begins to feel like another entropic artifact.
The lyrics focus on the human conflict over belief in god and enlightenment, rejecting the concept of any creator. Something that Nietzsche himself touches on as a topic as early as the 19th century, and whose messages the band is strongly inspired by. Then the German philosopher remarked: „God is dead, and the progress of mankind requires victory over the remnants of God found in traditional morality and moral equality.“

Consisting of six atmospheric and highly emotionally charged tracks, ‘The Athest’ brings captivating soundscapes into the listener’s mind, evoking timelessness, bringing its hopelessness to the fore, alternating with absolute supremacy and soaring etherial atmosphere, followed by harsh black metal riffs and reverberations with powerful, tearing vocals. An authentic record that definitely deserves a place in the collections of connoisseurs of the dark arts and those willing to immerse themselves into an unusual and arousing  atheistic journey.

Score: 9/10

Favorite song: „Descent“!

You can hear some of the tracks from the album below:

Band: Three Eyes of the Void
Album: „The Atheist“
Release date: 27.10.2023
Label: Folter Records
Order link: https://bit.ly/3LCAgaK