The Voynich Code – Ignotum

On first listen Ignotum by The Voynich Code is a thrilling experience. The EP is a constant bombardment of technical riffs, some of the most brutal vocals you’ll hear this  year and the kind of breakdowns that will make you want to punch a hole in a wall, it really does create a fantastic first impression. Opener “Antithesis” sets the tone for the EP brilliantly as it’s haunting synths give way for the albums first brutal assault on the listener and it doesn’t let up. The riffs bounce between technical grooves and crushing breakdowns while the vocals never give a hint of melody, if it wasn’t for the occasional guitar solos and more synths adding a hint of melody the constant brutality might have got a little boring. It all comes together for something that is relentlessly heavy but varied enough to remain interesting. It isn’t until the instrumental “MS408” that the listen gets a chance to catch their breath before the final two tracks close out the EP in suitably heavy fashion.

As impressive as Ignotum is, there a few faults that hold it back after repeat listens. Firstly as impressive as all the songs are, The Voynich Code rarely push the envelope when it comes to song writing. The music is executed flawlessly and the vocals sound monstrous but the songs will surely sound familiar to anyone who’s picked up a Veil Of Maya album. Secondly the production of the EP is incredibly slick but this also makes it feel a little soulless at times. However these issues don’t affect things too much and fans of technical deathcore certainly won’t be put off when the songs sound as good as they do.

Ignotum is an impressive debut from The Voynich Code and shows how much potential the band have. Those who love this genre will not want to miss this, especially if you’ve felt a little disappointed with recent efforts from some of the bigger tech-deathcore bands. With a little more creativity in the future The Voynich Code could become a lot of peoples new favourite band.

Ignotum is out now and can be picked up via The Voynich Code’s bandcamp page – thevoynichcode.bandcamp.com/.

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