Band: Versatile
Album: Les Litanies du Vide
Genre: Industrial Black Metal
Country: Switzerland
Label: Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions
Released: 11 April, 2025
Introduction
Versatile, a fairly new band out of Switzerland, released their first full album on the 11th of April this year. They did release Atra Bilis (EP) in 2022 and a single, Monstre in 2023. They didn't pop up on my new release radar (and with the amount of new black metal and black metal related albums coming out, that that isn't a weird thing).
But after listening to black metal for 30 years, that's still one of the joys, discovering new bands, and that's precisely what happened with Versatile. So after a few proper listening sessions, it's time for the verdict…
Les Litanies du Vide
Tracklist:
- Géhenne
- Enfant zéro
- La régente blême
- Ieshara
- Cave Canem
- Morphée
- Graisse
- Monstre
- Alter Ego
- Le mal nécessaire
So industrial black metal, it's not a style I listen to too often, but in general, I do like it. The album starts off with intro Géhenne to set the mood and just as you're settled in, it hits you smack in the face. The track Enfant Zéro has a very aggressive sound that I appreciate very much, so luckily this sound-scape is being used throughout the entire album.
The vocals are typically what makes or breaks an album for me, but the style Hatred Salander is using is great. They are vile, and full of hatred (for example on the sixth track Morphée), just as it should be with (industrial) black metal. And that continues through the entire album. The cleaner parts are also good (I don't mean clean singing less aggressive), and fits the vibe of the album.
The second track also has some industrial influences, but the real industrial part starts with the third track, La Régente Blême. It starts off very aggressive, and around the minute mark, you can hear the industrial parts of the album, but the aggressive sound stays.
This is also the track in which you hear the more industrial style come out in full force, which sounds more like dance/techno/edm whatever you want to call it. This probably isn't for everyone, but I didn't mind. It keeps the same momentum as the metal parts, so it all feels very coherent. And to pull that off properly is hard, but they do it with style.
The album has a lot of atmosphere, this is largely accredited to the use of choirs and the sound effects, but they do work great. The entire horror aesthetics, they are going for, is pulled off very nicely. This, in collaboration with the cpstumes they are using (see first image) makes for a great package.
Conclusion
Versatile delivered a great album. It's probably not for everyone because of the contrasting styles they incorporate. But overall, I still think this is a great industrial black metal album. The fact that it's their first album (with this band), makes me think their fame will rise quickly. It will surprise me if doesn't.
BMZ Rating: 8,5 – Very Good: An impressive album that rises above many others. It features innovative ideas, captivating lyrics, or excellent musicianship that makes it stand out.
Support Versatile here: https://versatilemetal.bandcamp.com/album/les-litanies-du-vide
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