Death metal from London, UK Since forming in early 2020, London’s Vacuous have wasted no time in crafting a sound that is equal parts unhinged aggression and harrowing atmosphere and truly their own. After cutting their teeth on a very lo-fi demo, the band truly came into their own with the “Katabasis” EP in November 2020, which was released via FHED and secured the band a spot in Cvlt Nation’s top 10 death metal releases of that year. With a sonic foundation built on the work of bands like Autopsy and Incantation, Vacuous draw from a wide range of sources, from the eerie dirge like pace of death/doom, the ferocity of punk and d beat to the blasting intensity of grindcore and powerviolence…all with the malicious intent of dragging the listener down with them into the depths of despair. With covid related restrictions easing, the band expanded to a 5 piece line up and began earning their stripes as a feral and extremely potent live act, with a series of gigs around the UK. 2022 brought the release of their debut full length album “Dreams of Dysphoria”, released via Me Saco Un Ojo Records, Dark Descent Records and FHED and sees the band expanding their sound into an all-engulfing display of dark, brooding and dissonant death metal, creating an oppressive and anguished atmosphere to underpin a very honest and harrowing record, with lyrics focusing on mental health, grief and other lived experiences. Setting them apart from the “cavernous” death metal micro genre, the songs are on the album driven by off kilter, yet emotive melodies and mood-rich songwriting which will get under your skin and make you feel the misery of it all, while still retaining the ability to break bones and flay skin with well timed bursts of extreme violence. To date, the album has been very well received, even leading the band to be cited in somewhat unusual places for death metal such as Time Out Magazine’s best albums of 2022 list. Bandcamp
