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The Void

by 3000AD

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REVIEWS

Metal Revolution

When I first looked at the cover-artwork and the title The Void, I was convinced that I’m gonna hear some depressive or blackened doom metal. Thus, I got very surprised when the first riff of the opening track “3000AD” came out of my speakers. It’s far from any doom and black metal! Who are they 3000AD? It is a thrash metal trio from Christchurch, New Zealand. Alone the fact that they’re from New Zealand got me even more interested in the band and this particular release, since a metal band from New Zealand is something that we don’t often encounter on these pages. The band is born out of an idea to fuse their passion for Thrash Metal and 80’s Punk Rock.

The Void is band’s debut full-length, containing eight quite lengthy songs. With The Void, the band takes the listener on a journey through a bleak dystopian future. A vision of civilization on the brink of collapse in a desolate and hostile environment.

The album kicks off with the afore-mentioned title track “3000 A.D.” with a fast and steady rhythm and tight interaction. It’s just a foretaste for what is to follow. The following track is called “Cells”, being a hard rocking song about the wasteland. “The Network” starts off with a wonderful guitar solo before introducing those bleak, intergalactic and futuristic elements. Next is the self titled track “The Void”, mostly recognizible for the haunting bass parts and some searing vocals. “These Fires” is a fast-paced track that will please fans of the faster and more aggressive sound. The guitar- and bass parts are really strong in this track! Then follows my favourite track off the record, a track that blew my mind, “The World We Knew”. It is filled with catchy riffs, crispy guitar solos and the vocals that are perfectly fitting in. It’s one of the tracks that will define the sound of 3000 AD for those still unfamiliar with the band. On “Journeys” one can hear a bass and guitars’ sonic assault, supplemented by some solid backing vocals. Closing song is called “Born Under A Black Sun”, being over seven-minute instrumental track in which all the instruments have nice and strong interplay.

As you could read above, all eight album tracks have a particular personality of their own. They’re all quite engaging and interesting, and despite of the fact that the album’s total running time is around 45 minutes, I was entartained the whole time. Meanwhile, those lengthy tracks are resulting in a less straight-forward structure and a bit more complex outcome, but as said earlier, I think it suits the band very well.

The Void was recorded in studios in Hollywood, California and Auckland, New Zealand. The beautiful artwork is created by famed artist, Eliran Kantor. Esp. recommended for fans of early Metallica, Exodus, Anthrax, S. O. D, Municipal Waste, Power Trip, Toxic Holocaust, Suicidal Tendencies and more.

70/100
Bato

 

Soilgrinder Zine #7

This group from love their hardcore, especially New York City Hardcode in vein of Leeway, Madball of Indecision with a little Suicidal Tendencies or Excell thrown in. The harsh screamed/shouted NYHC cadence of the lead vocals (Hellmore Bones) are in the higher range nearing Zach Delaroche without going into the range of lets say, one of the vocalists from Haste. Backups come in the gangtype chants, which is always fun in the studio I’m sure. The lightning fast, breakneck tempos on The Void are the majority but sometimes the occasional groove or mosh pit breakdown will slip in. The first song is their theme, 3000AD.

Atmosfear #26

Новозеландский кроссовер треш митол бэнд 3000AD дебютирует и представляет на наш обзор и строгий суд свой первый полноформатный альбом «The Void». Сказать по правде, альбом для меня оказался средненьким, хотя уверен моя оценка очень не справедлива и спровоцирована только лично моими вкусовыми предпочтениями и ожиданиями. Тем более порывшись и найдя информацию, которую вы так же можете узнать на бандкампе лейбла, можно понять, что проделанная парнями работа и привлеченные к созданию саунда и оформления люди заслуживают внимания. Конечно, местами есть хорошие треки, местами лично мне слушалось без особого восхищения, а местами вставки чистого вокала вообще дико смутили. Опять-таки мое впечатление я думаю это не приговор, а более шарящие ценители жанра, наверное, оценят дебютник парней. Поэтому в отношении этого релиза мне сложно сказать что-нибудь более подробное и я бы посоветовал желающим послушать его самим.

7/10
Vasyl Senevych

Rock Hard #59

K tejto kapele sa dostávam po prvýkrát a to nie len preto, že pochádza z Nového Zélandu, ale i preto, že tento album je ich debutový. Kapela je na scéne iba niekoľko rokov a po pár singloch sa zavrela do štúdia a vyprodukovala veľmi rezký album „Prázdnota“, ktorým chcela o svojom smerovaní veľa prezradiť. Osem skladieb a takmer 43 minút zavedie poslucháča do pochmúrnej vízie budúcnosti (o čom asi svedčí i názov kapely 3000 rokov po Kristovi). Kapela si zakladá na starom thrash metale, ktorý je však okorenený o modernejšie vplyvy, no v žiadnom prípade jej to neuberá na atraktívnosti či starobylej chytľavosti. Je to akási zmes starého thrash metalu, osoleného o údernosť starého amerického hardcore a malej štipky moderny. Nový Zéland nie je pre mňa krajina, z ktorej poznám každú druhú kapelu, no 3000AD si asi veľmi dobre zapamätám. Debut „The Void“ má v sebe potrebnú dravosť, energiu a asi aj nováčikovský
elán. Veľkým prínosom je i trojhlas, nakoľko po vokálnej stránke prispel každý z tejto trojice. Takto nejako by mala znieť kapela, ktorá nechce hrať stále dookola otrepané riff y, ktoré tu už dávno boli, chce priniesť nový vietor, ale nechce výrazne vybočiť zo starých mantinelov. „The Void“ vychádza pod Metal Scrap Records ako digipack CD a digitálne. Podľa všetkého sa možno dočkáme aj vinylovej podobe, čo si tento album určite zaslúži. Tak hodne zdaru protinožci.

3,9/5
KREMATOR

Infrared Magazine

New Zealand Crossover/Thrash Metal band 3000AD debuts their new full length album titled ‘The Void’. The debut album brings the listener on a voyage through a futile dystopian outlook. 3000AD are a crossover thrash metal band from Christchurch, New Zealand. Guitarist Sam Pryor, bassist Scott Austin and drummer Hellmore Bones formed the band to blend their zeal for Thrash Metal, 80’s Punk Rock and bleak, dystopian, futuristic imagery.
“Cells” is a hard rocking song about the wasteland. “The Network” starts off with a wonderful guitar solo before diving into the depths of a type of intergalactic futuristic sound. The self titled track “The Void” begins with riveting, haunting bass then segueing to head bopping guitars and searing vocals. “These Fires” is a fierce fast paced gem with strong guitar almost halfway through the track. The guitars and bass are the group’s strong points that meld together throughout the songs.
‘The Void’ was recorded in studios in Hollywood, California and Auckland, New Zealand. Award winning engineer and producer Clint Murphy mixed the album, and it was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City. The gatefold artwork was painted by famed Berlin based artist Eliran Kantor.

8/10
Kat Thomas

Pest Webzine

Never heard of this New Zealand based trio, but they’ve been around only for two or three years now, and this is their debut album (and also the band name isn’t too appealing for my taste either), so I’m covered, but heck this is a killer find. 3000AD present here 8 tracks of pure US inspired Crossover Thrash Metal, the one that sends images of teens in snickers, with their caps on, competing on skateboards while also racing for who’s the fastest beer keg drinker. Fast, metallic, cheeky, pounding, groovy, and extremely addictive all over, a lesson in how this combination of styles is supposed to be done and performed. Although old-school to the bone, this type of Thrash Metal sounds fresh and full of ingenuity in order to capture the attention of both mature fans of the genre and kids full of energy and passion. Definitely a genre that you don’t meet that often nowadays, but an album that’s very well done, catchy and memorable, melodic here and there, close to perfection in my books. Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention the killer cover artwork that sparks one’s imagination, check it out.

9.5/10
Adrian

Metal Centre

All three members of this New Zealand band played in SOUNDS OF VENGEANCE and either renamed themself to 3000AD or simply formed another separate band. “The Void” is the band’s debut full-length studio album.
The album was recorded in the USA and New Zealand. The mastering was done at the cult Sterling Sound in New York. The whole was mixed by Clint Murphy. The graphics for the album were painted by Eliran Kantor, known for his works for, among others, ATHEIST, GWAR, HATEBREED, ICED EARTH, MASTER, MEKONG DELTA, SATAN, SIGH, TESTAMENT.
The musicians are clearly inspired by crossover playing from the 80s and 90s, which combined punk-rock simplicity and rebelliousness, hardcore aggression and melody with thrash-metal heaviness and a more sophisticated approach to the arrangement.
The songs, almost classically, move around core-metal themes, presenting very energetic music, full of aggression and spontaneity as well as strong hits enriched with a specific simple melody giving a pinch of darkness.
The guitars bring out dynamic, catchy riffs, full of fast and strong licks, as well as slowdowns and short climatic solos. Of course, it was not without clearly marked bass guitar accents. The rest of the rhythm section (drums) is as it should be, but without too rich rhythm.
The vocal layer does not differ from the canons of such playing. There is a screaming-declaiming lead vocal, which is the drummer here, and who even singing in places. His pitch is usually quite high, but not without more aggressive screams. And the compaction of these vocals was taken care of by the rest of the musicians, creating choirs and various vocal-lyrical accents that enrich the vocalism of the whole in an interesting way.
The music smoothly oscillates between thrash-metal and hardcore themes.
In fact (with one exception – the track), the musicians take handfuls for arrangement solutions that we know well from their predecessors in this genre, such as. S.O.D. / M.O.D., D.R.I., early METALLICA, or ANTHRAX and many others…
There also is the last, instrumental track “Born Under a Black Sun” that differs significantly from the general crossover climate, serving more heavy-metal melodies, with similarities to instrumental motifs straight from METALLICA.
The whole thing is good and pleasant to listenening.

7/10
Pavel

Metallian

Of all ironies of ironies this release is on ‘Total Metal’ Records. Except, it is only 50% metal owing to the fact that it is a crossover record. In my interview with guitarist Sam he claims that he is the metal guy and the other members have worse taste than he does. You want more irony? The album’s title is The Void, but there is something on the cover of the digipak, something very big!
In my interview I asked Sam about DRI, which this band and album owes much to, and he demurred, but did not deny knowing the band. That is a step or two ahead of bands like Machine Head and Kingdom Come who lie about having ever heard of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin respectively. The 3000AD guys are not liars and similarly it is not a lie to say this band will appeal to fans of DRI and that whole sub-genre. Guitar solos are to 3000AD what class or honesty is to Donald Trump. OK, a short one interrupts the proceeding on Who’s Watching and there is another snippet on Journeys, but you get the picture. The song Journeys also includes a little second of Metallica’s guitar work from the dreaded song One for which we deducted ten points from The Void’s rating. The group is harsh, fast and heavy, but not on the fringes of the scene. The sound production works in the act’s favour. It is clear without being fluffy.
The band does sing of dystopian future times, but it is still surely coincidental that the album features a song called Cells with lines like ”But This Virus, It Rests Within Your/Cells! Internal Invasion Cells! A Deadly Contagion… “ or “This Is The City Of Plague/.. Those Wall Have Become A Tomb…” The lyrics are worth reading.

70/100
Ali “The Metallian”

Legacy #127

Nanu. Ist die Zeit stehen geblieben? Beim Opener ,3000AD‘ sieht das geistige Hörauge Mike Muir rumhüpfen, singen und schreien – im Stakkato eines Maschinengewehrs. Und auch die ganze Anmutung, der ganze Charme dieser neuseeländischen Band erinnert wohlig an die damalige US-Skate-HardcoreThrash-Ursuppler Suicidal Tendencies. Allerdings teilen sich gleich alle Mann des mächtigen Kiwi-Dreiers den Gesang – was neben einer gewissen Hektik auch für Abwechslung sorgt – gerade in Sachen Hard- und Metalcore oftmals eine Schwachstelle. Apropos: Variantenreichtum kennzeichnet den ganzen Erstling, wenngleich die Zutaten die bekannten sind – Thrash der alten Schule mischen 3000AD mit modernen Elementen. Das wirkt eindringlich mit eingängigen Parts, prägendem Bass und eben den variablen Shouts – es sitzt, passt und hat Luft. Wie im schlonzigen Thrashcorler ,The World We Knew‘. Zudem auffällig: Die Jungs aus dem Rugby-Land legen nicht so viel Wert auf das Drumherum, müssen sich nicht in Kutten schmeißen und mit Dosenbier posen, um authentisch zu wirken, sondern lassen die Musik sprechen. Und dass sie es ernst meinen, erkennt der geneigte Hörer am Rausschmeißer ,Born Under A Black Sun‘: Das ist nämlich ein Instrumental mit fast proggiger Note, Post-Heavy-Metal sozusagen. Fazit: ehrlich-erwachsener Thrash Metal mit modernen Noten – unaufgeregt, lässig und gut.

11/15
BRK

Rockcor #171

Новая Зеландия всегда представлялась мне уединенной страной со своей обособленной культурой и историей. В принципе, так оно и складывается. Отдаленное государство известно широкой общественности благодаря своей природе, запечатленной во множестве произведений, регби и культуре Маори. Собственно говоря, этого перечня достопримечательностей уже достаточно для такого небольшого государства. Однако тот факт, что страна эта является развитой и весьма многосторонней, говорит о том, что все тамошние сферы жизни находятся на довольно высоком уровне. Тяжелая музыка не стала исключением из этого. Вообще, тяжелая сцена острова представляет собой интересное зрелище: на ней практически нет хэви, пауэра, харда и подобных стилей, зато дэта, блэка и трэша – огромное количество. Трио 3000 AD было образовано два года назад после переформатирования музыкальной идеологии коллектива предшественника под названием Sounds of Vengeance, исполняющего смесь трэша и хардкора, причем они сохранили свой состав неизменным. В начале карьеры музыканты решили не сильно удаляться от проторенной дороги и играть ту же смесь, но вышедший в этом году первый полноформатный релиз показывает, что вектор развития в итоге пошел по другому пути. Пластинка представляет собой смешение практически чистого хэви и трэша. Скоростные, хлесткие запилы заменены на размеренные, заниженные рифы, ритмсекция довольно вариативная и самостоятельная,
вокальные партии исполнены, по большей части, чистым и сильным голосом, а общая структура композиций напоминает смесь из Anthrax и Artillery с уклоном в сторону последнего. Местами прогрессивный, местами мелодичный и при этом весьма напористый и уверенный материал слушается легко и приятно радует разнообразностью сопровождающей его атмосферы. Единственное, чего альбому недостает, это харизмы и хитовости. Правильные приемы и находки размазаны по пластинке ровным слоем, и выделить что-то конкретное – задача не из легких. Благо, что статус дебютной работы к завышенным ожиданиям не располагает, тем более что факт развития и роста музыкантов очевиден. Так что слушаем, получаем удовольствие и желаем музыкантам светлого будущего.

4/5
Сурин Захар

Metal Head Community

Today we are featuring another promising thrash metal band; 3000AD, from New Zealand. We have reviewed their powerful song; Who’s Watching, along with its character, style, story, potential and more.
3000AD is a promising old-school thrash metal band I have discovered through Metalhead Community Submissions about 2 months ago with their energizing song; Who’s Watching, off from their first long-play album; The Void, which was released in 2020. The band is officially making releases since 2018. They have started their careers with a single called; “Devolution Theory” (2018), continued with two more singles; “3000AD” and “Cells” in 2020, and released their first full-length album; “The Void” not long ago in 2020. I don’t know about you guys but I always loved hearing the vibes of those golden days of thrash metal, especially by the upcoming bands who have got the means for the job, just like in our example here. Now, please give the song a listen while reading the rest of the article.
Who’s Watching is the first song I listened to by 3000AD. A few days later, I started to notice that some people keep sharing their music on my personal social feed (Facebook) afterward. Well, this is surprising and not surprising at the same time. Who’s Watching is a very successful piece of work with the proper dynamics, energy level, flow, instrumentation, and most importantly; the attitude. So it’s perfectly normal that some of the people I know love good old school thrash metal. As you also know, one of the most important characteristics between bands was “the attitude” in the late 80s. And the bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Pantera were considered as the pioneers of this movement. I also believe that this was one of the key elements in their success. So the point is, I am happy to see a band who doesn’t only have a similar music style but also similar values with them as well. I think Who’s Watching is mostly making the difference with its old-school vibes that made us all fall in love with this music in the first place. So many couldn’t resist the charm of Pantera mostly because of this, and I am sure so many will feel the same thing for 3000AD as well. And they are doing a fine job in their careers so far!
Technically, Who’s Watching has great standards in every way. I am grateful to every single person in the making who were against adding some digital shit in their music. Thank you guys, I appreciate it a lot! This was surely one of the important reasons why I respect what these New Zealander gentlemen are trying to achieve. They have a delicious blend of modern and old-school vibes in their sound with no single electronic bullshit. Well, I know this is not a fact it’s just the way I feel that this is the right way of doing this kinda job. And I am more than happy to see that we have an understanding here.
When I take all these into account, I’d like to say that I have had a great time listening to 3000AD. They have the right foundations in their music which is good enough to take them to the next level in their musical careers. This is a promising job by an upcoming band indeed, and I am sure it is going to bring many die-hard fans into the 3000AD fanclub!
Who’s Watching has earned its place in our TOP METAL SONGS PLAYLIST on Spotify!
Please go ahead and check out the links below if you’d like to find out more about the artist/band, follow them on social media and subscribe to their channels to show your support and also not to miss any upcoming releases.
In conclusion, Metalhead Community Team congratulates 3000AD for their brilliant job in WHO’S WATCHING and wishes them the very best in their future careers. Thank you for reading.

Burak Gundogdu

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