The Strokes front man, Julian Casablancas nails it again with the release of the second full-length album, “Virtue” by the Voidz produced by Shawn Everett. The last time we received anything from this experimental rock group was back in 2014, when they where known as Julian Casablancas and the Voidz, instead of just the Voidz. With an incredibly wide soundscape, there is no predicting what the next track will bring. Songs like, “Leave It In Your Dreams” will leave you reminiscent of the classic Strokes’ vibe. It makes you think that it is just going to be another simple project by JC, but when the auto tuned assault of “QYURRYUS” starts, it is clear this The Voidz are keeping it as wild as ever.
The Voidz put their own spin on the riff-rock genre with “Pyramid of Bones” and “One of the Ones” with a sinister groove and captivating guitar riffs. “ALieNNatioN” slows it down with calming auto tuned vocals and a mellow sci-fi groove that makes me feel like I am going up an elevator on an alien spaceship. Another highlight is the incredibly funky “All Wordz are Made Up,” featuring catchy, harmonized robot vocals. This is just one of many tracks that does a great job blending different genres and grooves together into one, satisfying concoction.
Some of the best moments during the album are not always during the digital mayhem like one would assume. In “Think Before You Drink,” Julian is at his most vulnerable, singing about war and human cruelty over an acoustic foundation. The soft rock jam “Lazy Boy,” gives us an amazing pair of drums and guitar that continues to build and work off each other throughout the track.
The Voidz cover all the bases in this album, sounding like a different band from track to track. To be able to change from genre to genre, sound to sound and nail it is something spectacular, especially in an album that has 15 tracks! The album just gets better with every listen and with it bouncing around constantly it seems it will never go stale. The Voidz nailed it in “Virtue,” giving life back into rock genre and Julian’s career. Once again, it doesn’t need to be consistent in sound if all the doings are consistently good.