Void - Jettatura FLAC

This band popped up in one of my frequented groups for music sharing recently. The group has been around since 2011, spreading pagan rage all over France. Jettatura means the glance of the evil eye, and on the cover there’s a picture of a skull with a suggested third eye.
From the very start, I am plunged into the darkness after the vocalist yells “Jettatura 6-6-6”. I like it already. A double bass rhythm with raging guitar are driving the song forward. The vocals are very on point, and overall the sound image is very polished and virtually shines in every aspect. No instrument is left behind in the mix, and I can clearly hear the blasting drums, hi hat, bass guitar and of course, the ever present vocals. It’s really fun to hear such an all stops pulled, yet well produced audio palette. The melody is simple, but brought out of the dark by vast amounts of tremolo pickings and double bass lines all along. This made it stay instantly in my head for the entire day of my first listening experience.
The follow up makes use of the same saturated vocals, with a grimness that incorporates both screams and a depressive guitar sound. It’s impressive how different each track on this album is compared to other Black Metal acts of late, but it is in this regard that VƆID really excels. I hear hints of old school Norwegian Black Metal, like Satyricon around 1999-2006, and a slowed down riff passage very reminiscent of Watains style which helps to further drag me into the dark void. The same goes for the “Woven Woods”, which starts off with a brutal tremolo opening which I guess is inspired by some baroque masterpiece. Before long, however, the pace is significantly slowed, and the harrrowing screams of the vocalist transforms the song into another great riff section. I nod my head in awe of this great feat. The lines are delivered in the shapes of growls, like a snaring rabid animal gritting its teeth at me. The production again is on full display here; two guitars overlapping, and the drums are crisp even on my low end computer stereo.
As we reach the half way mark, the songs take a different approach, being more slow starters. The longest song has a near two minute intro before it settles on a mid tempo pace. The ever present diabolical vocals are there, and a headbang inducing “chorus” part. This is perhaps the most noisy cut of the album, but I feel it fits in for the sake of variety. “O M E N” starts out with a onslaught of drums, before screams take over the scene. The Black’N’Roll pace is still there, with hooks that keeps your ears peeled for what’s next. There’s such a perfect harmony in the way the drums, guitar and vocals thrust the song into my eardrums, before ending on a high note. It is perhaps the only song on the album which has an uplifting atmosphere surrounding it, if you look aside the dark theme. The last song on the album is perhaps the most traditional Black Metal in sound: Battering double drums, higher pitched screaming vocals, and a very genre typical riff section about halfway in. Alas, there’s plenty of headbanging opportunities here, which I have enjoyed for my part. Overall, this is an album that any fan of Black Metal should not miss out on. A staggering debut that will continue to impress me for quite some time.