Track By Tracks: Octotanker - Voidhopper (2025)

1. Voidhopper:

A slow-burning launch into the void, with the most prevalent Black Sabbath influences. At one point, Voidhopper was close to being put on the refrigerator (where we put mid songs to maybe go back to them at some point - we usually don’t,) but then we made some rearrangements that turned it into our single in the end. You can still hear some of the old riffs - the intro was originally played over the verse. Additionally, the tempo shift at the end was added to make it feel like a spaceship losing to gravity.

2. Starships:

The oldest song on the album, and the only one that survived (not unharmed, though) the Great Riff Purge of 2021, when we basically scrapped four complete songs because they sounded like rejects from Prad’s last album. Originally, the verses were played with clean guitars, and the entire second half was completely redone.

3. All Suffer:

All Suffer opens with Octotanker at its chilliest, and it includes the only uncommon time signature on the album (7/8). Don’t be fooled, though - it’s not a power ballad. Things get real at the end. If you listen closely, you can hear some All Them Witches influences.

4. Aghori:

The longest and most complex track on the album. A spiritual descent - a cosmic exorcism built on our weirdest riffs. Aghori refers to a Hindu order known for using bone ash as makeup. It’s also where Ghoran the Astronaut - our comic-book protagonist - got his name. The guitar lead in the bridge was sponsored by the Diablo II soundtrack.

5. I Am Sun:

Also, one of the oldest songs on the album, and one that went through some tough times before becoming one of our favorites. The Alice in Chains influences in the chorus are absolutely intentional.

6. Decomposed and Rotten:

Our shortest track, and the one with the weirdest influences. The chorus was inspired by Clutch, and the verse by ABBA’s Money, Money, Money, which was also the working title for the song.

7. The Source and the River Are One:

Melodic doom meets philosophical weight. There’s literally an easter egg from the classic Doom ‘93 video game in there (it’s in the bass line), and there are some Nirvana vibes as well. Coincidence? Absolutely not.

8. Burning Bodies:

We consider Burning Bodies our most representative song. It has clean guitars, psychedelic journeys, and heavy, punchy riffs. We often use it during sound checks, and it also served as our sound pilot before we recorded the full album. And in classic Octotanker fashion - just when you think the song ends, it takes you into hyperspace.

9. Space Outlaw:

The final track, riding out into a sunset on an alien planet after a job well done. Coincidentally, it was also the last track we composed, and the one we struggled the most to record. But we’re glad we did, because it turned out to be a fitting end to the interstellar odyssey.