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Janvs: Vega
28/10/08 || Euthanatos
At first I thought this was a German industrial/weirdo band called Janus, but this is actually an Italian act which also have a few releases under their belt. I’m afraid I’ve never listened to them to compare to “Vega”, as I had never even heard of the band before, but what I can do is distill what this new album is all about.
Janvs play a sort of melting pot metal; there are a lot of influences, mainly modern black metal, but they include some atmospheric elements as well for ambiance. The production is good and the songs are well-crafted, showing a mature band, completely aware of its capabilities and possibilities.
Not being able to quite pin them down is a good thing going for them. I can’t really compare Janvs to any other band, at least nothing that comes to mind. At some moments they remind me of Vintersorg, particularly when the clean vocals kick in, like in “Saphire”. At other times they are closer to more aggressive acts, somewhere between Hollenthon and Celtic Frost.
Keyboards aren’t that prominent, at least not in their usual form, which is a good thing, apart from the intermezzo “Dazed”. “Mediterraneo”, for instance, has a lot of keyboards, but they’re actually serving as synthesizers to other instruments, giving a lot of depth to the track.
After getting a shitload of crappy releases, “Vega” sure is a much welcomed surprise. I like the songwriting, the musicianship and the production, even if when the band goes to the extreme of aggressiveness, it seems like they jumped into a time capsule and sound like they recorded in the early 90’s. Still, it’s not enough to lose the appeal of a well-done, captivating album.
No complaints here.
The cover: Uh… Pretty abstract, I guess.
7 Mediterranean manly men with exotic beards and pony tails out of 10.
- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: ATMF
- Website: www.janvs.it
- Band
- Vinctor: vocals, guitars
- Malphas: bass
- F. La Rosa: keys, samples
- A Fog: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Torri di Vetro
- 02. Saphire
- 03. Tarab
- 04. Dazed
- 05. Mediterraneo
- 06. Vega
- 07. Vesper
