Review by Felix on January 16, 2026.

Maybe I'm a little stingy. Less than one percent of my reviews are rated “10”. When I take a closer look, every one of “my” perfect albums is less than 48 minutes long. I think I'm seeing a pattern here. Either my attention span isn't sufficient for a longer album, or artistic perfection is limited, per se. Or both. But regardless of the reason, this is where the problem begins. “I Am the Void” boasts a playtime of 76:26, and this is simply too much. After 55, 60 minutes, I have the feeling that the story is completely told. That’s not fair, I know, because the songs in the late positions are anything but negligible. On the other hand, I am not responsible for an over-ambitious band that wants to prove its newly gained creativity after 25 years of silence. The fact is that the mass of material is at the expense of the individuality of the songs, and that’s a pity. Once again, Eucharist do not deliver weak tracks. Of course, little mistakes happen. For example, the narrative part at the beginning of 'Nexion' does not add any value to the album, and the entire song remains somewhat misty and slightly ill-defined. But this is just the exception that confirms the rule. “I Am the Void” is definitely a strong output.

It begins with three tracks that leave no questions unanswered. Perhaps it was not the best idea to introduce the album with the spookiest intro and the most accurate riffing, but the surgical precision of the guitar work of “Shadows” is impressive. After this promising start, “A Vast Land of Eternal Night” reveals almost hypnotic guitar lines, and “Goddess of Filth” (which is not about a guy called Dani) shows its power above all in the grandiose main riff. After these 17 minutes of splendor, the band pays tribute to the self-imposed mammoth task. “In the Blaze of the Blood Red Moon” is not immune to some feeble guitar tones, and for the first time, it feels as if the Swedes are running out of breath. Fortunately, they do not and return to form with the double bass hailstorm called “Mistress of Nightmares”. But “In the Blaze of the Red Moon” confirms my assumption that with 76 minutes of material, it is not possible to give every part the same attention as in a 40-minute performance. The comparatively powerless “Darkness Divine” is another track that could have done with more care in order to get a better result.

Anyway, Eucharist has a talent for the creation of genre-typical melodies, and they are able to write songs that fall in the spectrum of old Dissection without copying them in any way. The vocals do not focus on innovation as well. They deliver the usual mix of grimness, aggression, and wickedness, and they are contributed by Markus Johnsson, who also plays bass and guitar. By the way, he has written ten of the twelve songs alone, the last two together with Daniel Erlandsson, the former drummer of the band. Perhaps Markus should have delegated one or two duties, just to avoid the lack of compactness and to have more people who might have recognized things that remained hidden from him. Anyway, rebellious pieces like “Lilith” find a good balance between melody and aggression. They make an impact, not only because of the professional production. Mixed and mastered by Magnus Devo Andersson – this says enough, doesn’t it? A guy who has been involved in Marduk and Allegiance cannot go musically wrong, if I am not mistaken. It is just a pity that he did not give Markus the good advice to stop after 60 minutes. The 60+ minute trap is a very dangerous tool for metal musicians. Markus knows that by now, too.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Carl on December 16, 2023.

The cover and logo make me suspect brutal slamming death, the name has me thinking more of a crossover thrash deal. What better way than find it out than put it up for review, right?

Turns out it's indeed a death metal act, consisting out of one man. The style sure has some similarities with early brutal death metal, especially the early works of Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Putrid Pile and Monstrosity come to mind, but in its totality, it's a very simplified take on the style. The guitars utilize adequate death metal riffing, with at times an Overkill kind of thrash metal vibe to them ("Devoured by Rats"), but at times the riffs have the tendency to sound too chipper for my taste, not really exuding aggression and menace all that much. The guitars are backed by a very boxy sounding drum computer that sounds pretty lifeless and flat, so flat even, that sometimes it sounds as if the guitars detach themselves from the percussion and give the impression that they float next to each other in the mix, especially in the blast beat parts. Holding it all together somewhat are the gruff, low growling vocals, giving me a slight Deicide-ish vibe, but really aren't all that special either, being pretty monotonous in execution. The songs are varied throughout, with high velocity alternating with more thudding midtempo parts, and I have to say that the mostly midtempo tracks like "Exterminate the Rotten Core" are the better ones on this album, because they sound more coherent than the faster ones. The lowpoint of the album is the album closer "Death Metal Blues" that does what it says on the tin, and I can't stand it. From the fake audience cheering at the start of the track, the bluesy death metal main riff, right down to the annoying (and unfortunately very catchy) chorus, this is exactly what I despise about this kind of cheap humor in music.

The production does not help matters much, either. It sounds really thin and dry, with too much emphasis on the already below par sounding drum computer, and with guitars that sound very lifeless, neutering much of the music of brutality and soul. Add to this a mix that is on the iffy side, and we come to the sad fact that this album is pretty much dead on arrival.

Despite there being more than a handful of good ideas present, it all drowns in the meager production, unfortunately. Why unfortunately, you might ask? Well, throughout the half-cocked production and sometimes odd compositional choices, I can clearly hear a man who is doing what he wants to do, with his heart definitely in the right place. If only this album had way more bite in it than the shabby soundmix would let out, this would've hit way harder than it does now.

Rating: 6 out of 10