Voe - Rust Tape

Scotland and doom seem to go together pretty well. Edinburgh has it's share of dark and gloomy bands, while Glasgow is getting in on the act too. Manchester's slowest label (in terms of music anyway), Dry Cough Records caught on and released the bands first tape, Rust earlier this year. Voe started kicking out slow jams in 2013 and have made a bit of a name for themselves around their hometown, getting onto all manner of bills including supporting Loma Prieta, Downfall of Gaia and recently The Body and A Storm of Light. They've also recently been featured on the latest digital sampler from Church of Fuck.

Tracklist:-

1. Dead Air Pt One
2. Last Days of Burden
3. Beyond The Sea
4. Dead Air Pt Two
5. Rust

This is my first introduction to Voe, but I know that Sir Dry Cough has a good ear for these things, so I’m excited. That excitement is justified as opener Dead Air Pt One begins with some brilliant atmospheric guitar. There’s feedback and noise building in the background and simple drumming keeping it together. It’s solely an instrumental track, with more of a post-metal feel. That atmosphere is dragged down thanks to Last Days of Burden. It’s slower, lower and features dual, distant screams. There are still elements of the ambient guitar from the opening song and the minimalistic song structure makes it all sound a lot heavier.

In spite of Voe’s leanings toward doom and post-metal, their songs don’t drag and are instead long enough to allow you to take them in, while being short enough to make them stick in you head. Beyond The Sea rounds out side A of the tape with a winding, sprawling piece of delicate music, featuring the atmospheric guitar that first punctuated the airwaves during Dead Air Pt One. The vocals and the dissonance don’t come in until midway through the song, but when they do, they wake you up and make you pay attention. 

Side B consists of Dead Air Pt Two and the title track. Dead Air Pt Two starts with a brooding spoken word sample and more building noise. At time Voe are mournful and slow, but at times like this, they seem to hold a beauty that is not only unexpected but also euphoric. They end with the harrowing yet hauntingly good title track, which seems to take their sound to a more cavernous level. From the light-filled intro section to the heavier, rage fuelled verse, Voe open themselves up and channel pain and misfortune through their instruments. 

Rust is stunning from start to finish and Voe have created one of the best tape releases of the year so far, in my humble opinion. Nice one to Andrew for releasing it. Don’t sleep, pick a copy up before they’re all gone!

You can stream Rust as well as pick up the tape (coupled with a download) from Dry Cough's bandcamp page below:-



Voe Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/voedoom
Dry Cough Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords