The Voidz make their long-awaited return with cosmic confidence and starry swagger on the metal-tinged indie rock adventure, “Prophecy of the Dragon.”
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Stream: “Prophecy of the Dragon” – The Voidz
“Conventional” is the last thing that comes to mind when you think of indie rock icon Julian Casablancas.
With a song called “Prophecy of the Dragon,” you kind of already have an idea of what you’re getting into. Whether it’s with The Strokes or through various solo projects, Casablancas has never been one to shy away from playing the standards — alongside Jeramy “Beardo” Gritter, Amir Yaghmai, Jacob “Jake” Bercovici, Alex Carapetis, and Jeff Kite, the Strokes frontman’s latest passion project doesn’t just play the standards, it heightens them. With a unique, ever-evolving sound underpinned by instinctive rock sensibility, The Voidz show that no one does “experimental” better than them.
Breaking their two-year musical silence, The Voidz triumphantly returns with the ambitious electro-metal-pop hybrid, “Prophecy of the Dragon,” released via Cult Records on May 26, 2023. Never taking themselves or their art too seriously, the rock ‘n’ roll six-piece pays no mind to the boundaries of genre or expectation, charmingly creating an abstract world of wit, weirdness, and wonder in their latest single.
Mirror, mirror on the wall
I can’t do this anymore
Late December, all alone
I won’t get to watch my children grow
I’m busy, busy
I’m feeling f… dizzy
East Berlin, taste the fucking decadence
I used to be a lounge lizard
Now look at me, I’m a wizard
Opening with retro drum beats and a metallic guitar riff, Casablancas’ trademark vocal distortion emerges onto the spacey sonic landscape. From metal and psychedelia to disco, indie rock, and post-punk, countless sounds and styles are structured and amalgamated into a tight four minutes and fifty-three seconds. Yet, the disparate influences effortlessly coalesce into an intimate union between brooding darkness and bright funk.
Amazingly textured and irresistibly fun, the track shows The Voidz doing what they do best: embracing the bizarre, campy, and otherworldly.
“The track started with a very simple question,” they start. “What would it feel like if God whispered into your ear, ‘You are my most magnificent creature?’ What would that feeling sound like? What would its bassline be? With that, Beardo blew The Voidz conch shell, and we assembled from the various corners of the earth to which we had been summoned for previous quests. From the deserts of the Sahara, to the truck stops of the midwest – we reunited in California to answer this question. The response?”
“From the fiery bones of eternity, the dragon’s voice, awakened after millennia in waiting, spewed forth a sonic fist of impertinence in the shape of a New Pirate anthem, where nothing is what it seems, nor is it otherwise: Prophecy Of The Dragon.”
Arms in chains, walls of lead
To collect, here come the dead
It’s too late, too late
Consequence, prove it son
Words don’t count for anyone
You’re always on my mind
Lotus sutra, kept it safe
Secret teachings we await
Now the snake king guards the truth
Until we are prepared
Making its live debut at Primavera Sound in Barcelona on June 3rd, “Prophecy of the Dragon” shows The Voidz as not only one-of-a-kind songsmiths, but also charismatic performers. Inventive in not only the creative process but also onstage execution, Casablancas tastefully incorporates autotune and experiments with pitch shift pedals, producing unique melodies and rhythms that make for captivating live performances.
Lyrically, the band uses sly humour and intergalactic jargon to touch on political and personal themes, which is nothing too unfamiliar when you consider the themes of their past two records, Tyranny and Virtue. The messages don’t get lost in translation though, as they effectively, albeit quirkily, communicate the fears and realities surrounding modern capitalism and society at large. Touching on earthly issues with otherworldly concepts, The Voidz intrigue and ooze mystique with their aesthetic quirks and experimental edge.
Dissention
Mind your business
Perception
Embodies the void
Perfection
Ancient symbols
Hidden knowledge
Dragon will unleash himself
Listen closely
All will be enlightened as a consequence
Where The Voidz’s magic really lies, however, is in their ability to go from 1980 to 2080 in a matter of seconds with their sound. Simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic, “Prophecy of the Dragon,” like the rest of the band’s numbers, carves and defines The Voidz an identity entirely their own – an identity no other band or artist can replicate.
Eclectic and eccentric as ever, the band, with their artistic audacity and Casablancas’ creative genius, blends analogue synths and post-punk beats with heavy metal riffs and intense vocal processing. The Voidz’s inventiveness, in sound, concept, and approach, is equal to their musical consistency, but by no means are they close to artistic stagnation.
I try, I try, I try
I wait for you like a beast in a zoo
Almost out of dreams
I can hear neon waves
From inside my neon cave
Here comes the flood
It’s hard (maybe even impossible) to find a song like “Prophecy of the Dragon,” sonically, lyrically, or otherwise.
Never wandering too close to derivative, the track is Metallica meets New Order, Joy Division meets Tame Impala, and Motörhead meets MGMT.
For The Voidz though, it’s nothing too out of the ordinary or far from limits, when the ordinary is extraordinary and the limits are none. You can never predict or foresee what you might hear next, but as far as expectations go, it can be expected that The Voidz will continually and consistently deliver some of the most unique and charming indie rock you’ll find today.
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Stream: “Prophecy of the Dragon” – The Voidz
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© Cheryl Georgette
© Cheryl Georgette
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