Jettatura

Six years since their last material, the rollicking blackened metal five piece from Nantes, France know as VƆID finally delivers their debut full length album, Jettatura, through Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions. Featuring six tracks across thirty-five minutes, the album weaves through varying levels of punchy, oft-catchy black metal.

The first thing one notices when turning on Jettatura is the professional, full bodied production. Every instrument shines brightly, yet the album still radiates a dark hue in spite of the polish. Black ‘n’ roll, as a whole, is a style that tends mostly towards boring schlock (see Satyricon’s Now Diabolical), so it’s really cool to see a band like VƆID bring a fresh twist on the style. Perhaps it’s the band’s aggressive and destructive take on the sound. There’s a fair amount fiery tremolo riffing and rumbling double bass attacks mixed throughout, not to mention the frequent descents into second wave influenced mid tempo darkness. Yet the band’s forte is clearly the rollicking, blackened metal that fills the majority of the album. The riffs are catchy as hell and well written: it’s nearly impossible not to bob your head along to the title track.

With a style like this one should clearly hear a passing resemblance to the Watain’s, Taake’s, and Satyircon’s of the world, but VƆID’s sound is certainly one that stands apart from the crowd. The band has found a fine balance between headbanging catchiness and aggressive black metal. Purists may be a little put off by the modern sound, but that’s their loss; this is an album that sounds quite fun without losing its edge. VƆID is a band to keep an eye on, because if this debut is any indication, they’ll be a household name in no time.