Milwaukee’s longest-suffering sludge titans Northless are back to remind you that joy is fleeting, riffs are forever, and the void is, in fact, quite loud. The band’s latest offering, “The Violence of Emptiness,” is a brutalist slab of doom-laced sludge that doubles down on everything that has made Northless a cornerstone of the Cream City heavy underground for well over a decade.

If you’ve followed the band’s arc from “Clandestine Abuse” through 2022’s gut-punch “A Path Beyond Grief,” you know the drill: massive low-end, tortured vocals, and tempos that crawl just slowly enough to make your chest cavity rattle. “The Violence of Emptiness” leans further into that contrast between crushing weight and aching melody, the kind of dynamic shift that has earned Northless comparisons to genre standard-bearers like Neurosis and Cult of Luna while still sounding distinctly, stubbornly Midwestern.

There’s a reason this band has remained a touchstone for Milwaukee’s metal scene. Northless writes riffs that feel earned, not engineered, like every measure has been dragged out of something heavier than just an amplifier. “The Violence of Emptiness” is no exception, mixing slow-burning dread with bursts of cathartic violence that hit harder because of the patience surrounding them.

Stream the release in full below and let the void do its work.

https://northless.bandcamp.com/album/the-violence-of-emptiness

Follow Northless on Bandcamp to keep tabs on upcoming releases, merch drops, and tour announcements. And if you catch them live in Milwaukee, do yourself a favor and stand near the back, your sternum will thank you.