HELL IS HERE: PREDATORY VOID + RAÜM

Räum is a new post-black metal project that will take you on a journey through our hopes, vices, and decadence. The band was formed in the summer of 2020 by Geoff and Xavier, who were quickly joined by Olivier and Dina. These four are already known in the local scene thanks to projects like Face the Truth, Dawnbreath, and Kiss the Goat.

After a very rapid creative process, the first LP "Cursed by the Crown" was recorded under the supervision of Gilles Demolder.

For years, the Ghent region has proven to be fertile ground for innovative and experimental sounds in the realm of hard and heavy music. In 2021, the hometown of the Belgian artist collective Church Of Ra gave birth to a new group ready to conquer the world of extreme music: its name is PREDATORY VOID – and its members are no strangers to the scene.

Amenra, Oathbreaker, and Living Gate guitarist Lennart Bossu began writing and recording song ideas at home that would form the basis of PREDATORY VOID, in order to stay sane and occupied during the pandemic when live performances were impossible. As it became clear that the dark, heavy material wasn't quite a good fit for Amenra, he quickly assembled a group of musicians from his local scene to transform the project into a full-fledged band, now comprised of vocalist and tattoo artist Lina R. (Cross Bringer), bassist Tim De Gieter (Amenra, Doodseskader, Much Luv Studio), guitarist Thijs De Cloedt (Cobra The Impaler, ex-Aborted), and drummer Vincent Verstrepen (Carnation). "When forming the band, one of the criteria was that we all had to live a reasonable distance from each other," explains Lennart Bossu. "I absolutely wanted to avoid the difficulties associated with the dispersion of the group members across several continents and to form a group capable of easily fitting into a van and giving concerts, because that remains one of the greatest joys of music."

It's an eclectic group with varied musical interests ranging from shoegaze to doom, hardcore, black, and death metal. Singer and lyricist Lina R. cites bands like King Woman, Funeral Circle, Dream Unending, Seraphim, Have A Nice Life, and Kind Dude as sources of inspiration for this project, but there's much more: "clean guitars on a heavy music approach" from bands like Disembowelment and Esoteric, as well as "weird, swan-like moments," as Lennart Bossu puts it—all of which together make PREDATORY VOID something bigger than your average metal band. "Musically, I'm drawing more or less on the same energy and feelings as when I was making music with Oathbreaker. I had a brief internal debate about whether I should create something that sounded completely different, but it felt more honest to stick with the music that flows naturally from me," the composer explains. "I think of PREDATORY VOID as Oathbreaker's more odious and delinquent brother, who won't hesitate to punch you in the face if necessary."

Although the band originated from Lennart Bossu's idea and he is its principal composer, the creative process of their debut album "Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being" was fueled by teamwork and the contributions of each member: Tim De Gieter's deep growls added another dimension to the vocals, and his experience as a sound engineer shifted the production from a lo-fi sound to a more contemporary direction; Lina R.'s dynamism and influence as a lyricist propelled the writing process forward.