Void of VisionHyperdaze (Redux)

Melbourne metalcore act Void Of Vision might not have gotten the touring shelf-life they expected on 2019’s Hyperdaze, with COVID-19 decimating the possibility of touring a few short months after it’s September release that year, but they’ve managed to breathe new life into the record with Hyperdaze (Redux); and they weren’t alone this time around.

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While this new and improved edition of the album looks a lot like its 2019 counterpart, each track has a killer guest spot from an all-star roster of artists from across the alternative scenes, and no doubt a few familiar voices.

Tracks like Year Of The Rat, Babylon, and Slave To The Name feature Aussie heavy music favourites like Thornhill’s Jacob Charlton, Justice For The Damned’s Bobak Rafiee and Polaris’ Jamie Hails respectively, all lending their lungs for a fresh and crushing new interpretation of the already heavy tracks.

If these local legends weren’t enough for listeners, Void Of Vision managed to pull off some heavy international collaborators too, with Hole In Me, Kerosene Dream and Splinter featuring screams from Crossfaith’s Kenta Koie, Silent Planet’s Garrett Russell and Loathe’s Kadeem France respectively.

This isn’t your average remix album. This is something new.

Guest screams aside, perhaps the most interesting inclusions on this redux are those from artists that are a step or two outside of the typical heavy scene. Alternative hip-hop badass Ecca Vandal’s feature on Decay gives a great new energy to the track, while Holding Absence’s Lucas Woodland brings a radically different melody to the chorus of If Only.

There are even a few more electro-heavy remixes for synth-loving listeners, albeit from some more familiar local names. Northlane guitarist and programming man Jon Deiley gives the tables a groovy new spin on interlude track Adrenaline while Up Late tackles closing track Hyperdaze, turning it on its head with a wild new dance-infused perspective.

There’s an interesting sense of community that can be felt on this feature-riddled redux, with each new version of the fan-favourite tracks offering just a taste from another great act, almost like a greatest hits playlist rather than a single band’s album. While listeners will no doubt gravitate to songs featuring their favourite acts, those who listen through the whole album might be rewarded with a few artists they hadn’t heard of who are more than worth a listen.

Each feature across the tracklist do a great job of fitting into the track they’re apart of, with each guest spot strengthening their respective song and offering fresh new take. One thing hasn’t changed though, and that’s the absolutely mosh-worthy record Void Of Vision have pumped out with Hyperdaze.

A bold experiment that’s certainly paid off, Hyperdaze (Redux) takes listeners on a journey through Void Of Vision’s sound all while blurring the boundaries of the metalcore genre in a much welcomed change of pace.

An album that’s still heavy as hell from top to tail but with a fantastic twist, it’s not hard to find something to fall in love with on Hyperdaze (Redux). While it’ll be hard for Void Of Vision to top this one on the next album, it’s certainly got us listening to what the Melbourne act have to say.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Year Of The Rat (ft. Jacob Charlton from Thornhill), Slave To The Name (ft. Jamie Hails from Polaris), Decay (ft. Ecca Vandal)
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Thornhill, Northlane, Polaris