We were going to start this whole thing talking about the parts of a whole of Korn and how diverse the different players are outside of their day job as Nu-Metal giants. But who wants to read all that? What we will say is that coming from the band that made a pretty epic underground Gothic masterpiece with Untouchables, it’s no surprise that James Shaffer has something like Venera rolling around in his head. Also, who’d have thought that Shaffer could out creep Jonathan Davis in the spooky score department (Davis, of course, was responsible for the Queen of the Damned songs and film music)!
Together with Atlanta-based musician and filmmaker Chris Hunt whose work, according to his Bandcamp bio, “often explores the intersection of the existential and aesthetic via liminal scenarios and textured sonic landscapes” the duo have definitely crafted a listening experience with the self-titled debut as Venera akin to that description. And an experience is exactly what Venera is. Sure, you could pick it apart and release the odd single here or there but with its’ brooding sonic themes flowing through each note struck you might wanna take some time to sit back and just hear it from beginning to end.
“Alignment” is stirring to start and sets a tone that foreshadows what’s to come. And what that entails is a collection of sinister soundscapes that are both eerie and ethereal. But in a good way! “Swarm” mechanically and statically pulsates in a way that is ominously offsetting while “Surrender” creates a massive atmosphere like something out of an epic Sci-Fi flick with “Helium” offering a coda that presents a sort of vexing vibrancy to end the album in much the same way as it began.
What intersects between all that are tracks that bring in some glorious guests to add just a little more heft to Venera’s debut. The LEGENDARY Alain Johannes is here on “Triangle” and gives a performance quite unlike anything the multi-instrumentalist and singer has delivered in outfits like Eleven, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Them Crooked Vultures with a Bowie-esque vocal style that’s especially reminiscent of the later years of The Thin White Duke. The multi-talented Deantoni Parks lends a percussive prowess with some of those signature complex drum stylings integrated into both “Erosion” and “Disintegration” while HEALTH’s Jacob Duzsik appears on “Ochre” with a lush vocal delivery to give the song a dark UNKLE/Massive Attack feel. Also on board is Rizz from another of our faves, VOWWS, who adds piano and vocals to the spectral presence of “Hologram”.
Venera releases through Ipecac Recordings on October 13th. A variety of formats are currently available for pre-order, all of which can be found here or by clicking the stream below. For more from Venera, follow the trail of socials when you click here, here, or here.