{"id":105406,"date":"2025-08-29T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T23:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=105406"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:46:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T10:46:25","slug":"album-review-void-forbidden-morals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-void-forbidden-morals\/","title":{"rendered":"VOID – Forbidden Morals (2025) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

VOID
\nForbidden Morals<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nShadow Kingdom (2025)<\/span>
\nRating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lafayette, Louisiana-based thrashers Void may boast one of the most uninspiring band names ever, but they most certainly catch the ears with their sound and the eyes with their cover art.<\/p>\n

Forbidden Morals<\/em> is the follow-up to 2023 debut album Horrors Of Reality<\/em><\/a>, but this time around there\u2019s two new members. Bassist Blake Adams takes over from Logan Davenport and guitarist Chris Braune replaces long term member Alex Bernard. Vocalist Jackson Davenport, guitarist Gabe LeJeune and drummer Aaron Landry remain from Void\u2019s 2019 formation and complete the current line-up.<\/p>\n

The cover art is very 80s in its style, reminding me of something from the classic TV cartoon series, He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe<\/em>. Working in tandem with such nostalgic artwork is a familiar thrash sound, something I\u2019ve come to expect from a majority of bands within this cluttered genre. Even so, Void is an energetic combo that keeps its riffs fresh and drums crisp.<\/p>\n

The sound drifts effortlessly between Mercyful Fate, but without the evil, and, say, Annihilator although not quite as technically accomplished. There\u2019s a bit of Iron Maiden too, Judas Priest, Sanctuary and pinches of San Francisco Bay Area crunch. In fact, whether it\u2019s the Teutonic slaying of Destruction<\/a> or the snap of U.S. under carders Heathen, there\u2019s plenty to latch on to here.<\/p>\n

The title track features an array of shifts, sporadically reaching tech-thrash levels, the next outing for some traditional values where the bass gallops with intent. \u2018Gateways Of Stone\u2019 is a pure thrash assault featuring some killer high octave yelps and steely, spiralling solos which ascend from the smouldering ash caused by the smoking hot riffs. The bass remains prominent, adding that extra bulk to what is already a wholesome menu of thrash.<\/p>\n

Closing song, \u2018Beneath… Lives The Impaler\u2019, channels the sublime grooves of Bay Area experimentalists Mordred but without the funky flavours. Void forever shift between gears, often remaining pacey but not afraid to implement intricacy. \u2018Apparition\u2019 is more simplistic, relying on the heavyweight chugs which wreck the ears with their thunder crunch. \u2018Judas Cradle\u2019 sounds like a rougher, more streetwise Sanctuary fused with a Bay Area rattle, but there\u2019s always a scintillating melody within the forceful layers. \u2018Return Of The Phantom\u2019 is another direct hit, as the Teutonic strikes cause ripples of destruction and menace.<\/p>\n

The vocals have those gang chant sort of jabs which littered so many U.S. thrash albums in the 80s, but when one considers the amount of influences here, Void still manages to sound so exuberant and impactful, building punchy compositions laced with far darker tones than on the previous release. Alongside the recent Sadistic Force EP (Morbid Odyssey<\/em><\/a>), Void has been on heavy rotation, so open your heart, mind and ears to the continuing reign of thrash.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOID Forbidden Morals Shadow Kingdom (2025) Rating: 8\/10 Lafayette, Louisiana-based thrashers Void may boast one of the most uninspiring band names ever, but they most certainly catch the ears with their sound and the eyes with their cover art. Forbidden Morals is the follow-up to 2023 debut album Horrors Of Reality, but this time around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,5203],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-void-lafayette"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105407,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105406\/revisions\/105407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}