Photo credit: Cian Marangos

Turning horrific and terrifying experiences into art is not a new concept, but there are some artists that truly have the ability to do so at masterful sense. Void of Vision are those artists and they are showing us they are with the announcement of a new album ‘What I’ll Leave Behind’, which is set to drop on September 20th and the release of their new single ‘Gamma Knife’.

From waking up confused in the middle of the night in the back of an ambulance to having to undergo surgery and being hospitalised for an indefinite amount of time- the journey that frontman Jack Bergin has been through with his health is chilling. Especially why trying to pursue a music career.

“Trying to make music for a living is like a bloodsport, but one where even moments of triumph can feel hollow,” Bergin reveals. “At times I felt totally over it, fed up with giving literally everything for people to just not give a shit, at others I’d be mad at myself for indulging in a pity party. My feelings were a constant juxtaposition.”

Continuing touring and creating, only to end up in a hospital bed and having to wipe Void of Vision’s touring and album writing/recording schedule clean- it all led to what Bergin now today acknowledges was little short of an existential crisis. Stuck in that hospital bed for weeks on and end in state of exhaustive, draining introspection, reflection and analysis, oscillating between contradictory emotions, facing his own mortality and questioning everything:

“Was / is it all worth it? What am I doing with my life? Who am I without the band? What will I leave behind?”

It is these experiences and this internal battle that has led to what will be Void of Vision‘s fourth album ‘What I’ll Leave Behind’. Promising a raw, less leaning on lofty metaphors version of the band, which we saw back in April with the release of the stripped back single ‘Empty’, Bergin states:

“The album is a reflection, on and of everything; coming to terms with life and mortality, finding inner peace from within the impact crater.”

“I feel a lot better now about dealing with the future, about balancing my health and art,” says Bergin, re-energised following a successful first round of gamma knife radiosurgery and a full US tour supporting ERRA. “I’m grateful to be alive”.

Along with an album announcement, Void Of Vision have given us another sneak peak into this new era of the band. Dropping new single and video, ‘Gamma Knife’- the song captures the essence of they are promising with the new album. Raw verses, narrative lyrics but still giving us that classic Void of Vision masterful songwriting in the form of a catchy chorus- it feels like they are emerging from unwanted cocoon of traumatic experiences with the best era of the band yet. 

“Gamma Knife is about my near death experience and the desire for clarity in the aftermath,” shares Bergin. “To truly discover if everything I went through in the healing process would change me and everything around me for the better. I felt like the idea of going through radio-surgery figuratively felt like it was not only destroying the malformation in my brain but also a negative version of myself I needed to leave in the past.”

‘What I’ll Leave Behind’ is due on September 20 via UNFD.
Pre-oder/save here.

‘WHAT I’LL LEAVE BEHIND’ TRACK LISTING:
01. Oblivion
02. Blood For Blood
03. Supernova
04. Neurotic
05. Gamma Knife
06. Beautiful Things
07. Empty
08. Midnight Sweat
09. Decades
10. Angel of Darkness

‘Gamma Knife’ is out now.
Save/buy here.