Review: “A Voice From The Outer Dark” by Aversions Crown

When the revolving door of musicians to have graced Brisbane Australian Technical Deathcore institution Aversions Crown saw vocalist Tyler Miller end a four year run with the band to join Thy Art Is Murder despite the promise of 2020 album “Hell Will Come for Us All” there were more than a few who thought that their number might be up. However original drummer Jayden Mason and guitarist Chris Cougan, both ever present since the bands 2009 inception, along with former Widow the Sea guitarist Michael Jeffery who joined in 2013, had other ideas. Instead they searched the globe for another vocalist to breathe new life into their portraits in science fiction, alien invasion and Xenocide and in 2024, in the United Kingdom, they found Alex Teyen, a man many know from his time in Black Tongue.

Mixed and mastered by Lance Prenc (Void Of Vision, Polaris, Alpha Wolf) and engineered by Edward Sklavos (I Shall Devour) both of whom co-produced alongside the band themselves, as a record, “A Voice from the Outer Dark” represents something of a dark new dawn for Aversions Crown. Having given their devoted fanbase an EP followed by no less than four studio albums, going back to the shorter release form might seem like some like a backwards step. However after five years with no new music to have something out there with a new vocalist as a teaser for their next release seems like the right choice. Build some sense of anticipation, get some shows under the collective belts and then unleash merry hell once more.

The record begins with the title track, which goes off like a firecracker as Teyen has clearly read the script and delivers a performance of power and purpose. A tale of humanities annihilation at the hands of an alien force, its accompanied by a suitably earth shattering, restless and relentless kit performance from Mason and soaked in a chilling atmosphere of lingering science fiction horror. In amongst it all is just one spine juddering breakdown as the band opt for dark and sinister atmospheres to give us something more to this sonic assault on the senses. The eight string guitars are then used to full effect in the skull smashing “Deathbed Lamentations“, a track which is as far from the melancholia of the title as it gets. Another throat shredding performance from Teyen takes us back to his Black Tongue days, his vocal variations on this one highly impressive and once more it has to be said that the atmospherics are nothing short of spellbinding. The third and final chapter of this violently turbulent offering is “Castigation Choir“, a cut upon which the four piece reach the summit of their powers and deliver arguably the finest moment of the record. Vicious and bloodthirsty, this one is a savage beating that seemingly knows no end before descending into an eerie melodic break. Sending a shiver down the spine the band bring back the guitars and drums with downtempo Deathcore aggression, the staccato breaks allowing the eerie melody to bleed through the spaces in between. An utter triumph as a barbed, short, sharp and brutal teaser for their first full length album together, “A Voice From The Outer Dark” sends all the right signals and confirms that a new nightmare awaits [8/10]

Track Listing

1. A Voice from the Outer Dark
2. Deathbed Lamentations
3. Castigation Choir

“A Voice From The Outer Dark” by Aversions Crown is out 5th August 2025 via Nuclear Blast