VOID OF VISION UNLEASH 'YEAR OF THE RAT' FEAT. THORNHILL'S JACOB CHARLTON + NEW MUSIC VIDEO

Image: Cian Marangos

Melbourne metal stalwarts Void Of Vision have teamed up with Thornhill’s Jacob Charlton for a reimagined version of ‘Year Of The Rat‘. Taken from Void Of Vision’s 2019 album Hyperdaze, this cut comes oozing with classic VOV heaviness, complete with ethereal vocals from the Thornhill vocalist throughout.

On looking back at ‘Year Of The Rat’ over a year since its original release, Void Of Vision frontman Jack Bergin describes having a chance to really value his growth since writing the track.

“While I still feel like I’m not where I want to be mentally, it’s songs like this where I can truly see how much has really changed around me in such a short space of time. To gain a form of positivity from such an overwhelmingly negative track over the course of such an overwhelmingly negative year speaks volumes to the importance of heavy music and the reflection within it,” he says, adding:

“‘Year Of The Rat’ was written for those who have reached their expiry date, for the weak that have finally been weeded out. Watching an undeserving individual have a position of ‘power’ stripped from them has been a common theme throughout the year 2020, this song goes out to them.”

Today’s release also comes alongside a hectic new music video starring Jacob, check it out below.

On collaborating with the Thornhill vocalist, Bergin explains that it comes full circle over five years after Jacob originally approached him to collab.

“About 5 years ago Jacob approached me after one of our hometown shows and asked if I wanted to do guest vocals on his new, up-and-coming band’s track. I’m pretty sure I said yeah, but forgot all about it until a good half a year later when our videographer Cian called and told me I had to come down to do guest vocals on this band that he was working with. The band in question ended up being Jacob and the rest of Thornhill tracking their debut EP, so I’m glad I listened to Cian for once,” he laughs.

Jacob adds that 2020 found the friends working on multiple creative ventures together outside of their respective bands.

“Jumping on this track was kind of like a little break for us both where we had the opportunity to build on something that had already been created,” he says. “Aside from that I was honestly super stoked to be a part of the project in general, VOV have always played a special part in Thornhill’s history so it was very cool to be included on a special part of their history.”

With its release in September 2019, Hyperdaze seized a stark brand of bleakness akin only to Void Of Vision. Describing the record as seeping with pure hatred, self-loathing and nihilism, Bergin admits writing Hyperdaze offered a cathartic purge of darkness for him personally.

On top of knockout global album reviews upon its release, Void Of Vision went on to support Northlane around Australia, took to festivals including Heaven And Hell Festival, Schema Festival and UNIFY and headlined across Australia and Japan in early 2020.

With a year’s worth of lockdown spent fervently creating, Void Of Vision now stand poised to release more music shortly.