HYBRID

French outfit Venturia's sophomore effort is an aptly named creation.

The musical style explored is one describeable as progressive industrial metal, and personally made me think of a mix between acts like Deadsoul Tribe, Dream Theater and Nine Inch Nails - although I do suspect others will form different conclusions when it comes to the musical heritage resulting in this creation. Nightwish should probably be name-dropped too, given the utilization of mellow, clearly commercial-sounding passages as well as melodramatic and symphonic effects in some tunes.

The songs as such are enjoyable; well made and well performed. The compositions are somewhat predictable and tend to follow a distinct pattern; but strong moods, groovy melodies and some quirky details make them interesting non the less; with the ballad Why This Woman's Life and the quirky exploration Sublimated Dementia deserving special mention.

The main problem with a release such as this is that it's neither fowl or fish though; and as such it may have a limited appeal. Still, worth checking out by those who think that fosh or fiwl might be a cool thing.

The New Kingdom in 2006 and Hybrid in 2008; both released by Scandinavian metal specialist label Lion Music.

And this latest release is surely aptly named, as this creation is a mix of many different musical elements. Whether it is a hybrid or a mongrel will be a matter of individual taste of course; personally I think the former suits best.

Progressive metal is a foundation of sort for most things happening on this production. Riff patterns, both of the more basic variety as well as quirkier explorations are found in most tunes, and the archetypical synths and keyboards adding nuances and textures to the themes and passages making up the individual compositions are an ever present factor - in many instances these dominate a song partially or in full. Powerful vocals are a common feature in progressive metal, and in this case there are both male and female vocalists adding a distinct nerve and contrast to the songs.

The metal is mixed with other styles though, and industrial or perhaps electronic music is the first musical style I'd pull out of the hat to describe the hybrid elements on this album. Vocals and in some cases guitars are given industrial makeovers in key passages; the latter perhaps just as often a result of mix and production as a focused effort to make the songs sound industrial (i.e., that the industrial effects as such may be more of an accidental result). Still, the guitar sound is slicked down quite a bit and does make me think of industrial metal more than progressive metal quite a few times.

Gothic metal is a second element making an appearance in the songs of this creation, with powerful female vocals as a key feature, and melodramatic symphonic keyboard passages making regular appearances. The latter isn't a dominant feature though, in case any Nightwish fan suddenly feels the urge to check this out.

Other elements in this mix of styles are mellow, melodic passages with distinct commercial leanings - most notable in the classy ballad "Why This Woman's Life" - and guitar soloing somewhat dominated by neo-classical inspired guitar work.

This adds up to a very nice release; for those that can find such a mix of styles enjoyable. It's neither fish nor fowl, and how many that will find a mix of these appealing I'm uncertain of. Personally I find this to be an enjoyable album though; nothing earth-shattering but the compositions are mostly well-thought out, the performances, mix and production hold high class and the band does touch upon moments of brilliance on occasion. Worth investigating by the curious, and I'd guess that this is a release that may be pulled out as a forgotten jewel a decade from now.