Style: Dissonant Black Metal, Dissonant Death Metal (Harsh Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Akhlys, Blut Aus Nord, Afterbirth, Artificial Brain
Country: USA (WA)
Release date: 08 May 2026

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Do rats dream? If so, what do they dream about? What lies at the center of a rat’s consciousness, hidden away under subconscious layers? Some universal truth known only from a rodential perspective, or simply squeaking, skittering madness?

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have been at the center of multiple conspiracy theories over the course of their existence. Most of the time, conspiracies are just that: theories which are speculative and usually unfounded. Throughout the years, though, the CIA have declassified a number of documents which only throw fuel on the conspiratorial fire surrounding them. Project MKUltra, The Gateway Project, and the subsequent Stargate Project are all real life examples of the United States government experimenting with mind control, LSD, psychological torture, altered states of consciousness, and even astral projection. I figured, if anyone would be able to help me answer my rodent related inquiries, it would be the CIA. Thus, in lieu of a quick Google search, I’ve undertaken a mission: systematically infiltrating the CIA, gaining the trust of its leadership and access to its resources, and reviving research into the effects of LSD, mind control, consciousness, and astral projection, all in the name of one singular goal: rat telepathy.

I’m pleased to say, the project has been a smashing success. I’ll spare you the boring details on exactly how rat telepathy works; suffice it to say, I’ve successfully penetrated Dreaming Rat’s consciousness on multiple occasions. Below are my findings:

Turns out, rats are kind of fucking dumb. Who would have figured? After a number of LSD induced astral projection dream meld sessions with rats from all walks of life, a clear throughline did eventually present itself though. Rats dream in music. And rat music is fuckin’ bizzare. Dreaming Rat is the fourth full length album from dissonant black/death metalers Voidthrone, and while it’s largely a continuation of the intense, manic style the band has crafted throughout their career, a host of novel instruments and techniques set it apart from the rat pack. The result is the closest approximation of the sounds I’ve discovered during my forays into the untamed wilds of rat consciousness.

Dreaming Rat wastes no time getting weird. Opener “II-I. Homeless Animal” kicks things off with an excessively wobbling vibrato applied to its inaugural theme—instantly bringing to mind genre mates Suffering Hour—before devolving into kinetic percussion work, frantic chordal dissonance, and Zhenya Frolov’s unhinged vocal performance. These qualities largely define the core of Dreaming Rat’s sound, but at the same time only really scratch the surface of all of the peculiarities contained within. Digging under the layers of Dreaming Rat’s subconscious reveals shifting details which drag the listener further down into Voidthrone’s fevered sonic dreamscape.

The most immediately noticeable of such details is certainly Frolov’s varied vocalizations. Frolov boasts a full bodied range of techniques and pitch. Low, gurgling growls are reminiscent of Afterbirth’s illustrious William Smith; mean, mid-ranged snarls and shouts make up the bulk of Frolov’s performance; high pitched shrieking and yelling drive the most frenzied sections to new heights of intensity; and an assortment of laughing, sputtering, and taunting, along with exploratory production effects (“II-III. Ren Omega”), flesh out Dreaming Rat’s oral oddities. Frolov would add enough off-kilter energy on his own to take the most derivative dissoblack at least to the realm of the amusing. Thankfully, Voidthrone are no slouches on the instrumental side of things either.

Exploring the varied instrumentation of Dreaming Rat reveals a fever dream of shifting soundscapes, punctuated by dizzying dissonance and a surprisingly brute physicality. Guitarist Ron seemingly draws influence from a veritable fountain of inspiration. Weaving melodies float through churning dissonance; moments of jazzy tonality purposefully interrupt pacing (“III-II. The Dying Squid”); swath slides up and down the fretboard provide texture to odd chord changes; and manic, punching chordal dissonance would feel right at home in a mathcore setting—I specifically hear See You Next Tuesday in some of these moments. A multitude of unconventional instruments underscore the dissoblack foundation, providing an avant-garde, psychedelic undertone. Otamatone, conch shell, jaw harp, vibraslap, didgeridoo, and spoons all lend their unique sonic properties to the Voidthrone’s already eccentric songcraft, though such indulgences do sometimes result in the music losing its plot.

Unfortunately, while Dreaming Rat is rife with performative and textural depth, the same can’t be said for the structural or compositional side of things. Not to say that Voidthrone aren’t capable composers—they obviously are—but a clear priority was placed upon aesthetics at the expense of fundamental compositional memorability. I’ve surfed many Dreaming Rat’s synapses in my time at the CIA, and my main takeaway from each experience never really amounted to anything further than “huh, neat”. I think back on each experience, and all I really recall are isolated moments of texture or performance; the overarching flow of each song and the album as a whole is largely lost in the details. Dreaming Rat is an interesting world to inhabit in the moment, sure, but it lacks any real staying power for my tastes. All of the LSD probably didn’t help either.

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Recommended Tracks: II-III. Ren Omega, III-II. The Dying Squid, III-III. Worm Spiral
You may also like: Suffering Hour, Sleep Paralysis, Arkheth, Defacement, See You Next Tuesday, Hermit Dreams, Pyrrhon
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Voidthrone is:
Zhenya Frolov – Vocals, Otamatone, Conch shell
Ron – Guitar, Jaw Harp
Gavin Brooks – Fretless and fretted bass, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Solos
Josh Keifer – Drums, Vibraslap, Digeridoo, Spoons