I think the continuation of the Akercocke sound-or rather the reinterpretation of it-which Voices ran with on "From the Human Forest Create a Fugue of Imaginary Rain" was both its saving grace and its impediment to greatness. The album was a solid piece of depravity layered intricately with harrowing death/black metal structures and experimental elements stirring a plethora of negative emotions. However, it lacked a sensitive element of subtlety, ultimately settling for a decent outcome. The success of "London" is rooted in its ability to grab what "From the Human Forest…" started and add to its style in a forward-thinking direction. The dudes of Voices take the formula, throw in a conceptual horror-themed narrative and some noir elements intertwined smoothly into the experimental assault of pessimistic black/death metal, and explore the creative avenues available to them as if they were traversing blackened London alleys showing just darkness eternal.I guess one could argue Voices is starting to almost abstractly distance itself from Akercocke. However, the tangible musical components of both bands are incontestable; the continuation of the Akercocke sound stands out like a double-decker bus clogged up in traffic. The whole package picks up from where "From the Human Forest…" left off, packaging and shipping vexing black/death metal riffs mostly covered in blast beats and harsh vocals. Voices' progressive elements show up in the clean vocals, which sound so much like Jason Mendonça's that I honestly thought on my first few listens he had a role in this, and little experimental bits carefully placed around every corner, giving each chapter features of a distinctive identity between the carnage.
This is better than "From a Human Forest…" due to the overall refinement Voices shows on "London" in every conceivable way. The death/black metal riffs they throw out aren't different from the sequences on the debut, but they sound more involved in the general sketch of each song. It helps the band is exploring and experimenting to greater degrees; many of these tracks are ambitious. "The Antidote" is a creepy, atmospheric seven-minute monster slowly boiling itself up with eerie clean guitar chords that lead Voices to explode by the end of it, building up tension and conveying the noir vibe, a common theme in the many narrative sections here. "Megan" and "Vicarious Lover" also plummet and rise on the morbid rails of "London," sticking to the abstract black/death metal plan, each with their own particularities.
There is no shortage of blazing grinders, of course. "The Actress," "Imaginary Sketches of a Poisoned Man," and "The House of Black Light" stick to running amok in Voices' own little vision of eroticism and depravity. The chorus of "Last Train Victoria Line" is spectacular, the clean vocals warbling out decadent sexually-charged lyrics melted over the musical and atmospheric sense of anxiety and horror covering every inch of "London." Every issue I had with the first Voices album has been cleared up-the blast beats have been reduced, the guitar work has more variety, the vocal styles are more effective. This is exceptional work; an album of Akercocke quality in a different form. (Still not seeing tits on the artwork, though.)