Photo by Alan Swan
Watch DVNE’s “Plerõma” HERE.
Scottish progressive post-metal act DVNE will release their new full-length, Voidkind, on April 19th via Metal Blade Records.
Formed in Edinburgh in 2013 by Frenchman Victor Vicart and native Scot Dudley Tait, progressive post-metal/sludge artisans DVNE have been building a powerful head of steam since their second album, 2021’s kaleidoscopically mesmerizing Etemen Ænka. Their first release for the legendary Metal Blade Records label, the LP was a concerted hike up the greasy pole for this enigmatic outfit, enabling DVNE to embark on UK and European headline tours and win spots at such discerning festivals as Hellfest, ArcTanGent, Desertfest, Damnation, and Resurrection. A live EP of reimagined album tunes, 2022’s Cycles Of Asphodel, kept up their profile while satiating demand from a rapidly mushrooming fanbase, and now in 2024, stunning third album Voidkind looks set to propel this expanded five-piece line-up (welcoming Maxime Keller on keyboards) to the top of their game.
Voidkind succeeds in finding new modes of expression for DVNE. The songs are more pointed, direct, and memorable, but the soundscape still has a radiant, evolving, hypnotic flow, the effect achieved with fewer layers of sonic ornamentation, consciously urging closer to DVNE’s incendiary live sound. And despite the addition of a full-time keyboardist, Vicart has no doubt about the album’s defining feature, “We wanted very distinct left and right guitars, and punchier drums and bass, which would transcribe better live. And the synths needed to be clearer; it’s very easy to put five guitars on each side, loads of different vocals and keys, but then you end up watching a band with an album you really like, and the songs sound nothing like the record. That’s what we wanted to avoid. As soon as the song starts, we want people to immediately recognise the riff.”
Conceptually, the lyrics continue the band’s overarching narrative – “following a religious group through the generation line from the beginning to its end” – while Voidkind’s extraordinary sleeve art depicts the main theme of this chapter, namely, “a godlike entity seducing and luring followers through their dreams and these followers’ multigenerational journey to reach their god dimension.”
One book that has been particularly impactful on the band’s thought process: 1989 novel Hyperion by Dan Simmonds. Notes Vicart, “It’s a very dark Sci-Fi book with loads of interesting parts, so you can go really prog with it, but you can also go more violent and animalistic.” Further inspirational touchstones include FromSoftware video game Dark Souls, and the Japanese manga series that inspired it, Berserk, “It’s a very cool, violent, psychedelic, medieval dark fantasy,” explains Vicart. “We wanted to have these kinds of visuals and aesthetics on this album, in this mix-up of things. Even without the vocals we wanted to evoke something, different places and spaces, and take the listener on a journey.”
Vicart further elaborates on the themes driving “Plerõma,” the first single from Voidkind, and its accompanying video, which was directed by Vicart, “Plerõma is a concept that has appeared in Gnosticism, Greek Philosophy, and Judeo-Christian religions. In Gnosticism, it is the spiritual universe as the abode of God and of the totality of the divine powers and emanations. It is also the ultimate source of transformation. ‘Plerõma’ is a key moment of the album narrative where religious followers are consuming the essence of their deity and reach a new sense of awakened existence. It is the first step in their transformation. Musically, it also represents something similar to us, as it is a song that is bringing new elements that we didn’t explore musically until that point.”
Watch DVNE’s “Plerõma” video at THIS LOCATION.
Voidkind was recorded between September and November 2023 in Edinburgh at Craigiehall Temple and Byres Farm in Scotland and features the stunning artwork of Felix Abel Klae.
The record will be released on CD and digital formats as well as 2xLP in the following color variants:
Burnt Skin Marble (US)
White Black Marble (US)
Dark Crimson Marbled (EU)
180g Black (EU)
Grey Brown w/ Black Smoke (EU – ltd. 500)
Crystal Clear (EU – ltd. 300)
White/Black Dust (EU – ltd. 300)
Clear w/ Black Smoke (EU – ltd. 666)
Clear w/ Black, Red + Gold Splatter (EU – ltd.200)
Clear w/ Black Smoke (Band Exclusive – ltd. 666 available HERE)
Clear w/ Black, Red + Gold Splatter (Band Exclusive – ltd. 200 available HERE)
Find preorders at metalblade.com/dvne.
Voidkind Track Listing:
1. Summa Blasphemia
2. Eleonor
3. Reaching for Telo
4. Reliquar
5. Path of Dust
6. Sarmatae
7. Path of Ether
8. Abode of the Perfect Soul
9. Plerõma
10. Cobalt Sun Necropoli
Following the release of Voidkind, DVNE will embark on a European Spring tour which includes shows with Sleemo, Conjurer, and My Diligence on select dates. See all confirmed dates below.
DVNE Live:
4/23/2024 The Cluny – Newcastle, UK w/ Sleemo
4/24/2024 Brudenell — Leeds, UK w/ Sleemo
4/25/2024 Voodoo Daddies – Norwich, UK w/ Sleemo
4/26/2024 Green Door Store – Brighton, UK w/ Sleemo
4/27/2024 The Exchange – Bristol, UK w/ Sleemo
4/28/2024 Devils Dog – Birmingham, UK w/ Sleemo
5/04/2024 Headbangers – Ball Izegem, BE w/ Conjurer
5/05/2024 P8 – Karlsruhe, DE w/ Conjurer
5/07/2024 Casseopia – Berlin, DE w/ Conjurer
5/08/2024 Rosenkeller – Jena, DE w/ Conjurer
5/09/2024 Schon Schön – Mainz, DE w/ Conjurer
5/10/2024 Dunk Festival – Ghent, BE
5/11/2024 Hall Of Fame – Tilburg, NL w/ Conjurer
5/16/2024 La Belle Angele – Edinburgh, UK
5/19/2024 Desertfest, – London, UK
5/22/2024 Le Ferrailleur – Nantes, FR w/ My Diligence
5/23/2024 Le Confort Moderne – Poitiers, FR w/ My Diligence
5/24/2024 Le Rex – Toulouse, FR w/ My Diligence
5/26/2024 L’Antirouille – Montpellier, FR w/ My Diligence
5/28/2024 Les Caves du Manoir – Martigny, CH w/ My Diligence
5/29/2024 Amperage – Grenoble, FR w/ My Diligence
5/30/2024 La Laiterie – Strasbourg, FR w/ My Diligence
5/31/2024 Black Lab – Lille, FR w/ My Diligence
6/01/2024 Le Petit Bain – Paris, FR w/ My Diligence
6/02/2024 Club Zentral – Stuttgart, DE
6/04/2024 Rockhouse – Salzburg, AT
6/05/2024 Dürer Kert – Budapest, HU
6/06/2024 Escape – Vienna, AT
6/08/2024 Mystic Festival – Gdansk, PL
6/09/2024 Into The Grave Festival – Leeuwarden, NL
6/11/2024 Le Botanique – Brussels, BE w/ My Diligence
6/19/2024 Copenhell – Copenhagen, DK
DVNE Album Lineup:
Allan Paterson – guitars, bass
Daniel Barter – vocals
Dudley Tait – drums
Maxime Keller – keys, vocals
Victor Vicart – guitars, keys, vocals
DVNE Live Lineup:
Allan Paterson – bass
Daniel Barter – guitar, vocals
Dudley Tait – drums
Maxime Keller – keys, vocals
Victor Vicart – guitar, vocals
Occasional Live Member:
Alexandros Keros – bass
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