Voices (British band)
| Voices | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Black metal |
| Years active | 2011-present |
| Labels | Candlelight |
| Associated acts | Akercocke |
| Members | Dan Abela David Gray Sam Loynes Peter Benjamin |
Voices is a black metal band from London founded in 2011. Formed by former members of Akercocke, the band has described itself as seeking to produce "extreme and challenging music."
Voices was formed in 2011 by David Gray, Sam Loynes, and Peter Benjamin following the break-up of Akercocke. In 2012, Voices signed with Candlelight Records. The band released its debut, From the Human Forest Create a Fugue of Imaginary Rain in 2013. Peter Benjamin explained that the band was heavily influenced by movies, particularly the 2009 film Tony London Serial Killer by Gerard Johnson. He described the film as "about a guy who just can't connect with reality at all or people or anything. That’s kind of how we were feeling anyway so we just wanted to make something really cold, lonely, horrible and dissonant, so that’s kind of the whole theme."
Peter Benjamin, reflecting upon Voices' debut, described the album as the outcome of the band just playing "some riffs randomly" that resulted in "a really cathartic explosion, basically." Benjamin also described the album as "horrible music" that he views as more of a demo. David Gray was more forgiving in his assessment of the album, suggesting that "it's pretty much the sound of a live band in a room playing heavy metal – very simple songwriting, performances and production values. That all changed when it came to composing the second album though, I do feel we had to create more artistic ambition to actually create something superior."
In 2014, Voices released the concept album London. The album was once again heavily influenced by a film, in this case the 1999 movie The End of the Affair by Neil Jordan. Peter Benjamin observed that, "With the second one, we thought a lot about where we wanted it to go, with the narrative as well, adding that kind of depth." He described the concept as based on the "real experiences and twisted obsessions from our dark city" that is designed to blend "an intense yet euphoric beauty" with "the terrible, the poisoned and ugliness of London life. Bitter, cold, jealous and alone." David Gray described the concept of London as
the story of a lonely soul in a busy city and the effect it can have on your personality – human interaction or the lack thereof and the dilemmas of an impecunious pseudo hero desperate and alone. His mental illness feeds his obsession with a prostitute, an Eastern European model who dreamed of moving to London and being an actress. Their tragedies collide in the dark, wet streets of South London where sometimes suicide can be a serious option."
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