Interstellar Something, the second single from Voronoi’s The Last Three Seconds – a complex foray into the realms of progressive metal and jazz experimentation.
Forming off the back of contemporary jazz outfit Zeitgeist, Voronoi take the power and rhythmic complexity of heavier prog-metal and fuse it with the sophistication of classical music and jazz. A passion for science fiction thematically drives the band’s heaving and chopping style, whereas artists such as Autechre, Car Bomb, Tigran Hamasyan and J.S. Bach help shape the rigid, experimental structure of The Last Three Seconds.
“Compositionally and stylistically we have moved into much heavier territory than our contemporary jazz foundations,” says Keyboardist Aleks Podraza. “It really shows. If you were to put this record against the first tunes we played together as Zeitgeist, it would be like introducing a much capable Thelonious Monk to a less hectic Dillinger Escape Plan.”
Interstellar Something serves as the second single off The Last Three Seconds. Paining the image of a cosmic juggernaut, the song opens with glitchy intro loops, shortly interrupted by needling piano and hammering bass. As the song progresses, each riff seems to fill itself out with subtle backing harmonies, creating feeling where the bass crunches over open fields of shimmering synth. Yet as the song finishes, a slight change tenses the harmony. This soundscape, once so calm and passive, now becomes ominous and unblinking – ready to strike.
“As our second single, Interstellar Something Once again follows on from the cosmology theme” begins Podraza. “This one delves into cosmic horror a bit more. What if there were an interstellar unidentifiable thing that you could see? Something that you couldn’t describe, floating through space, and you knew about it? How would that make you feel?“
Those following Vorono’s career will need little convincing on the quality of The Last Three Seconds. Collectively, band members have performed and recorded with groups like The Cinematic Orchestra, KOYO, NJYO, Jenova Collective, The Often Herd, Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip, Wandering Monster and more. This in turn has garnered sizable attention at festivals such as Leeds and Reading Festival, Download Festival, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club – not to mention Voronoi’s thrashing set at 2019’s ArcTanGent.
The cool and collected chaos of The Last Three Seconds serves as a snapshot of this live energy, as passion and fury hum at the end of every complex composition. From start to finish, the record is nothing less than executed perfectly, undoubtedly appealing to even the most seasoned of prog-lovers.
Interstellar Something, the second single off Voronoi’s The Last Three Seconds, is available to stream now. The full album releases on 5 May on Small Pond Recordings and Art As Catharsis.
