VENTURIA - HYBRID (2008, LION MUSIC)
Marc Ferreira - vocals
Lydie Robin - vocals
Charly Sahona - guitars, keyboards
Thomas James - bass
Diego Rapacchietti - drums
Background
Back in 2006, Lion Music released a series of great
albums from their roster. That year was one of their
best in terms of quality releases. Two of those
bands came from France, the first was Hauteville,
the second - Venturia. We haven't seen a follow-up
from the former, but the latter return with their
latest 'Hybrid', which follows on from their
impressive 'The New Kingdom', which was reviewed by
us at time, receiving a healthy 9/10 rating (see
link below). The line-up remains intact, as does
their unique modern prog metal sound. If you took
away the heavy guitars of Charly Sahona, I'm certain
that Venturia would sound completely different, and
hence the album title 'Hybrid' is quite an
appropriate term. There are loads of modern angles
applied to this album much like an Architect's
design operandi. The dual male/female vocal contrast
adds further interest. Call it 'ying and yang', and
overall there is more equal duality to the shared
vocal approach than say a band like Nightwish.
To be fair, neither Marc Ferreira and Lydie Robin's
voices are typical of the hard-core prog metal
movement. Both have voices at the lighter (dare I
say it) 'pop' end of the spectrum, it's just that
the Venturia attack is based heavily on Sahona's
guitar wotk and a big rhythm section.
The Songs
It doesn't take long for Venturia to reach cruising
speed, as 'Swearing Lies' is quickly into
gear courtesy of Sahona's super fast riffing. The
tempo of this track changes quite a bit throughout,
where the slower sections feature everything from
bass popping, modern keyboard sequences and near
spoken word vocal.
The shared vocal is apparent on 'Be The One',
also the contrast between the two. In parts, Marc is
nearly performing a rap improvisation, while Lydie
provides the harmonic foil. The guitars and back-end
are heavy as anything.
'Running Blind' is captured fury at its best.
The changeable sections within this track make for a
colorful musical experience - including neat
arpeggio sequences, French vocal interludes from
Lydie, and some rapid fire drumming.
Opening up with a growling bass line, 'Pearls Of
Dawn' operates at half pace compared to the
tracks gone before. Easily, this compares favorably
with other modern commercial metal heard on radio
currently.
The most unusual track on the album is 'Will You
Save Me'. The structure and layers are very deep.
One moment we are in full on 'metal mode' with
double kick drums blazing away, the next we are
hearing symphonic elements with will 'o' the wisp
vocals from Lydie. Change up's galore to be sure.
Continuing in the same vein is the melodic 'Sparkling
Rain', which throws out comparisons to the
magical British band Iona, particularly
Lydie's vocals. Nice track, certainly one of their
less metal moments on the album.
Once you get past the stop/start intro of
'Hottest Ticket In Town', the track returns to
the prog metal bombast of the earlier tacks.
Sahona's lead guitar work is superb.
I enjoyed 'Love Gamers', mainly due to its racy
nature, interesting vocal sections and the 'hot'
(i.e. metallic) and 'cold' (milder moments) contrast.
'Why This Womens Life' is Lydie
Robin's 'moment' on the album. The title would
suggest a feminine angle for this track, and so it
proves. A dramatic affair, which features classical
and symphonic elements wrapped around Lydie's
passionate vocal delivery.
Just to ensure Venturia don't depart on a mellow
note, 'Sublimated Dementia' powers out of the
'Hybrid' musicverse with prog metal ambitions on
overload, ensuring that a third payload (album) is
on the cards in a year or twos time.
In Summary
This is another solid release from this French
outfit. Glad to see them back. Would be better to
see them out playing live somewhere, rather than
being stuck in a studio. Along with the latest
Seventh Wonder opus 'Mercy Falls', it seems Lion
Music are back to the 2006 glories. Well done!
URL:
www.lionmusic.com :
www.venturiaofficial.com
Track Listing:
01 Swearing Lies
02 Be The One
03 Running Blind
04 Pearls Of Dawn
05 Will You Save Me
06 Sparkling Rain
07 Hottest Ticket In Town
08 Love Gamers
09 Why This Womens Life
10 Sublimated Dementia
Rating:
Related Articles:
Venturia - 2006 The New Kingdom
Venturia - 2008 Hybrid
www.glorydazemusic.com |
|
VENTURIA - THE NEW KINGDOM (B) Lion Music, 2006
8 tracks, RT: 44:49
[ http://www.venturiasite.com/
]
[
http://www.myspace.com/venturiamusic ]
[
http://www.myspace.com/charlysahona ]
[
http://www.lionmusic.com/venturia_cd.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Coming to us from France is this young progressive
metal outfit with their debut album THE NEW KINGDOM.
Venturia play a rather unique and often captivating
mix of metal, pop and prog rock, incorporating
male/female vocal interplay and tight musicianship to
strong effect. Opening with the title track, you
immediately notice the emphasis on melodic
songwriting, effective vocal delivery and powerful
band interaction. Guitarist Charly Sahona is a new
breed shredder with lightning fast chops and a
rhythmic style that leaves room for the keyboards,
which he also plays with guest keyboardist Kevin
Codfert (Adagio). Capitalizing on the success of bands
such as Lacuna Coil and Nightwish, Venturia utilize
female vocals to complement lead vocalist Marc
Ferreira, with Lydie Robin's smooth voice often a nice
contrast on songs like "Words Of Silence" and "Take Me
Down." The band is rounded out by excellent fretless
bassist Thomas James and precision drummer Diego
Rapacchietti, whose contributions can clearly be heard
on standout track "Fallen World (Is There A Reason?)"
and the album's lone instrumental "Candle Of Hope
Through A Night Of Fears." For me the production was
somewhat thin in places, as I would have especially
liked to have heard a fuller guitar sound. Small
complaint though, with a little honing of their
overall sound Venturia appear to have all the
necessary skills to be the next big thing in prog
metal. I look forward to hearing more from them... -
Neal Woodall (MysticX9@gmail.com)
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Detritus/
Venturia –
The New Kingdom
2006 Lion Music
The one thing that sets France’s
Venturia apart from many other
progressive metal bands is that they
can meld the occasional operatic and
overtly technical element with
AOR-tinged pop melodies; and in many
cases there are several different
melodic approaches in each song,
with each being highly sophisticated
of course.
With both male and female lead
vocals, heavy, thick guitar crunch,
and a heaping of keyboard textures,
occasional dark and aggressive
elements come out with moodiness
that has a profound effects on the
atmosphere that is presented on
The New Kingdom. But besides the
stance for creating the mood, the
musicianship and the songs prove the
standpoint for the album’s main
strength; there’s no doubt about
that. Shadows of a murk laden
melodies encompass on “The Unholy
One,” “Fallen World,” and the
balladry of “Walk on to the
Daylight,” but there are the
occasional upbeat numbers such as
the opening title cut and the
instrumental jam session of “Candle
of Hope…,” so whether the band is
setting a mood or driving with hard
edged endurance, Venturia
knows how to build upon musical
prowess.
Again, here is a band that really
helps define the term progressive
metal without going into territories
of inaccessibility. Both song and
musician driven, Venturia
carries the flame along side band
such as Age of Nemesis, Sphere of
Souls, and Magnitude 9 for the ever
so lovely and hallowed grassroots
approach to world of progressive
metal.
Added: June 9th 2006
Reviewer:
Tommy
Hash
www.ytsejam.com
Score:
 |
|
|
|
Venturia – The New Kingdom (Lion Music, 21/04/2006)
French progressive metal band Venturia was founded by guitarist
Charly Sahona and drummer Diego Rapacchietti (Zero, Paganini, BPM) in
2000. They were later joined by bass player Thomas James and two
vocalists: one male (the New Yorker Marc Ferreira) and one female (Lydie
Brown). Interesting here is the contrast between the two vocalists,
which creates a perfect mix of softer (pop/rock) and heavier (progmetal)
vocal duet lines. The band got a lot of help from Kevin Codfert
(Adagio), who shared guitar and keyboard parts with Sahona, helped the
two band leaders with the arrangements and engineered/mixed the album.
“The New Kingdom” is a good album that offers something for everyone:
from pop-oriented material to heavy progmetal.
www.rockreport.be
|
VENTURIA - The New Kingdom
Lion Music
Release Date: 2006-04-21
by: MICK BURGESS
www.metalexpressradio.com
Email: mick@metalexpressradio.com |
|
One of the great things about listening to brand-spanking-new
music is that every now and then something arrives through the
door that you have never heard of before ... there are no
pre-conceptions of what to expect and it turns out to be a right
better than anything you ever expected. Then again, some may
reside in the “Probably Won’t Listen To That Again!” box after
one spin. So, which category do you think Venturia would fit
into?
Venturia were formed in France back at the turn of the
millennium by guitarist Charly Sahona and drummer Diego
Rapacchietti, with bassist Thomas James joining later along, and
with a special guest from Adagio, Kevin Codfert on keyboards. To
give the band a different edge, not one but two vocalists were
recruited in the form of Marc Ferreira and Lydie Robin. Now,
male/female split vocals are not a particularly new concept,
being particularly popular in the Gothic field, but not quite so
common in the Progressive Metal arena, where Venturia play their
trade. More on those vocals later ...
The opening refrain of “New Kingdom” does not immediately
hint at anything particularly different about Venturia, and
certainly nothing that separates them from dozens of other Prog
Metal hopefuls and Dream Theater wannabbees. There are the usual
frantic, crashing drums, ferocious staccato riffing and fluid
scales from the guitars, and keyboards stabbing furiously
throughout the opening passage -- all essential ingredients
needed for the Prog melting pot.
Venturia have, however, taken those essentials and given them
an added twist. In Ferreira, they have a singer who, rather than
attempting a James LaBrie or a Geoff Tate approach like many
other bands of their ilk do, instead tackles things a little
differently. The press release likens his style to that of
Darren Hayes of Savage Garden, and incredible as it may seem,
this is a pretty accurate description and one that works
devastatingly well. Ferreira’s performance throughout this album
is top notch,and he can veer from an aggressive hard-edged slant
to something more mellow and rich, a feat perfectly demonstrated
within just one verse of “New Kingdom.”
If that wasn’t good enough for you, then Venturia have yet
another vocal ace up their sleeve in the shape of Lydie Robin.
What a simply stunning, beautiful voice she has too, coming
across as a mix between Kate Bush and Loretta Heywood from dance
act Bomb The Bass. According to her biography this is the first
time she has attempted to sing in a Rock environment, but you
wouldn’t be able to tell. Maybe it is her enthusiasm, freshness
and varied influences that brings the added dimension to this
album.
What really stands out here is the interaction between
Ferreira and Robin, the harmonies are at times a joy to behold.
Rather than treading along the long worn, “male gruff/female
clean" Operatic route, the two singers both have strong, clear,
melodic voices. Check out “Words of Silence” for evidence. The
beautiful acoustically picked intro with a particularly sweet
Ferreira vocal before Robin joins half way through the verse all
topped off by a haunting layer of keyboards. The tempo picks up
after the verse with some hard-edged riffing, before returning
to the mellower verse. In fact this song has so many twists and
turns and so much to offer on each subsequent listen!!
“Take Me Down” is even better. Again, a simply wonderful dual
vocal display, with a chorus so memorable it’ll stay with you
for weeks. By memorable that does not mean a cheesy “Final
Countdown” sort of memorable but more of a tune so exquisite,
harmonies so tight and keyboards so atmospheric that you’ll want
to play it again and again.
With “Fallen World,” Venturia evoke the finest moments of
Conception and the long lost Raddakka. A cracking marching riff
and pulsating keyboards drives this song along, topped off by
the trademark Venturia harmonies. Sahona pulls out some fine
guitar work both on electric and acoustically. At the other end
of the spectrum follows “Walk onto the Daylight” which shows the
more reflective side of the band.
“Dear Dead Bride” closes the album in full on Prog overload,
an epic in the true sense of the word, which goes through the
whole range of light and shade, and tempo and mood changes,
which will keep more than satisfied.
In a crowded genre where everyone tries the same tricks, it
is so refreshing for a band to come along and do something
different. Having two singers of this quality is obviously
Venturia's strong point, however the performance from the rest
of the band is nothing short of breathtaking. To hear a Prog
Metal band focus on melody and songs without sacrificing their
musical prowess is another major plus point. The songs are
varied enough and feature tempo changes galore and extended
musical passages which never once outstay their welcome. The
balance between accessibility and complexity is evident
throughout. Where most bands extend things far more than
necessary, Venturia trim off the excess fat and leave a lean,
mean melodic masterpiece in its place. Codferts’ keyboards also
deserve a special mention as they weave wonderful, atmospheric
textures that enhance rather than swamp the overall sound of the
band.
The New Kingdom is one of the best Prog Metal releases
heard in many years, and might well be the finest debut album
since Dream Theaters’ When Dream and Day Unite. If they
can produce albums as consistently good as their debut, they
will have a long and successful career in front of them. Quite
possibly the new heirs to the Prog Metal crown. Simply awesome.
For further information check out:
Venturia Web site
where you can download a rather excellent 5-minute medley from
the album.
Lion Music Web site |
|
Venturia - The New Kingdom (Lion Music)
By: Joe Florez
www.live4metal.com |
 |
This is the debut from
a five piece French outfit. We all know just how hard it is to
make a name for yourself not only in the metal world, but in
prog as well. I think that these youngsters have a shot at it.
The title track provides plenty of up beat and energetic riff
action while the rhythm section of Thomas James (bass) and Diego
(drums) add plenty of groove to the mix. The deciding factor
that makes this band original is the way that they combine male
and female vocals. Marc does most of the singing here and while
he has a slightly high register in his voice, he can bring it
down just a bit so our ears don’t crack. Lydie comes in during
the choruses and as expected she is fragile, angelic and soft.
Most |
|
of the
time unless the woman throws down a vicious attack on the mic, I
don’t even bother to listen, but because of the energetic music
that is being produced as she does her job I had to hear just
how it would come off. It works, at least in this band anyway.
Things get really tripped out during the solo, as not only do
you get a 70s retro keyboard sound, but the neo-classical
performance shines through here too. Then, you get this jacked
up electro-spacey sound that sounds like guitars or bass lines
on crack. I kind of dug it. It’s hard to explain, so you just
have to take my word for it until you hear it. “The Unholy One”
threw me for a loop due to it coming off as an AOR or radio
friendly song at first. It has a feel akin to Mr. Mr’s “Kyrie.”
Remember that 80s hit? But then, things change and get heavier
with Charly down tuning his guitar and laying down heavier licks.
Also, the classic formula of the past (ala the seventies) comes
into play here, but quickly leaves. Once again, this is sort of
strange, but I have to keep on listening. I’ll tell you what,
these guys love to keep their fans on their toes because they
move around so much with the compositions. “Words Of Silence”
seems like it will start out as a sensitive ballad, but then
quickly moves into a more metal feel and then everyone busts out
their technical chops. Even though the transitions are plentiful
not only here, but everywhere else as well, they are pretty much
smooth and not so herky jerky. There is no train wreck anywhere
to be found. This is an album that you have to sit down with and
listen to it over and over again because I guarantee you that
you will miss stuff the first time around. There is just so much
depth and dynamics to this debut that you won’t be able to grasp
it all the first time around. It is highly original and will
keep you entertained for many spins to come.
www.lionmusic.com |
www.venturiasite.com |
Venturia - The
New Kingdom
Lion Music (LMC173)
Rating - 8/10
Review Dougie
www.hardrockhouse.com
|
I must
admit to having a bit of a twilight zone moment when this CD
arrived from Lion music. I had just finished reading the
latest issue of the Fireworks magazine in which an interview
with Lion Music owner was printed and the rather bold
statement made that Lion music is second only to Inside Out
for this sort of music. I guess that I actually agree with
the sentiment however and it is no mean feat for Lion Music
to make this claim given the fact that it should be
understood that Inside Out is part of the SPV/Steamhammer
organization and thus has greater financial backing. In the
main Inside Out deals with more established artists, whereas
Lion Music, and Venturia is a case in point, release a lot
of debut albums or product from lesser known bands. So well
done Lion Music...
Now
onto Venturia proper, a band that were formed in 2000 and
for whom 'The New Kingdom' happens to be the debut release.
As with many other Lion Music releases the album sits firmly
in the prog rock genre, but differs from most prog albums
by featuring two vocalists, one male and female and that has
enabled the band to develop a sound all of it’s own. The
music itself has lots of the usual suspects in the
influences it draws upon, but it is those vocals that give
the overall feel of 'The New Kingdom' an almost 80’s pop
rock feel, and seeing that I was a teenager in that decade
this appeals to me instantly.
The other big plus is the fact that 'The New Kingdom' has
something that will appeal to most rock fan, from the big
drum driven opener that is the title track itself to the
more mellow 'Words of Silence'
and then the extended instrumental workout that is 'Candle
Of Hope Through A Night Of Fears', this album serves up
something different but at the same time exceedingly well
played and truly interesting to listen to.
However having praised the vocals previously they also give
rise to my only negative comment due to the fact that the
male/female combination is are not used enough throughout
the album, when they are such a strength in the bands
repertoire why have such long extended musical workouts?
Not that this is putting the music down at
all but I really would just like to hear more vocals and in
particular those of Lydie
Robin, who has a voice equal parts Stream Of Passion's
Marcela Bovio and a less operatic Kate Bush. Still
a great start from Venturia and something
the band cam defiantly build on into the future.
Let us know your views on
'The New Kingdom'
|
|
Track List
New Kingdom
The Unholy One
Words of Silence
Take Me Down
Fallen World
Walk On To The Daylight
Candle Of Hope Through A Night Of Fears
Dear Dead Bride
Line Up
Charly Sahona -
Guitars/Keys
Kevin Codfert - Keys
Thomas James - Bass
Diego Rapacchietti - Drums
Marc Ferreira - Vocals |
Venturia arrives on the progressive music scene with their first cd The
New Kingdom, and from what I can tell you, they are as mature and solid
sounding as any band that has been around for years. This cd is simply
perfect in everyway, there is nothing average or middle of the road about
this band, each musician performs their respective instrument at the highest
level, they are also a band that creates a natural chemistry which results
in sincere, genuine music, that is a treat for the ears. Their music is on
the metalish side of the progressive spectrum, but nothing angst driven or
overly riff oriented. They write with a subtle complexity, almost stealthly
hidden in such a way that you really don't fully realize the demanding time
signatures and arrangements until you have listened to the cd in it's
entirety a few times over, and have gotten familiar with the alluring
melodic themes provided by the two vocalists.
Marc Ferreira and Lydie Robin are the bands' voices, each with clean and
harmonically complementary tone, the male/female style really adds a nice
fell to the songs, his being a powerful and full ranged voice, her's being a
very soft almost sensuous sounding style. Each perfectly work together to be
the personna of the bands lyrical statements. You will hear melody galore
from these two, which adds to the lasting quality of their music, but the
vocals, as good as they are, are really not the key selling point to this
bands music, they have created a personal and unique sound, mainly because
the creative level of talent each of the writing musicians provides, not
only are they stellar virtuoso players, but they are also showing an
exceeding gift and sense for smart songcraftsmanship. It is a rare
combination indeed, no matter what the genre, hearing musicians piece
together the skills and creative aspects to their craft and have a
masterpiece as a final result.
By rights, debut bands are not supposed to be this good, I am expecting the
normal flaws of tone, production, filler songs, and the like, but I am not
hearing anything that resembles a band that is just putting out their first
cd here. Again Lion Music continues to discover and offer great
talent an opportunity to be heard, and fans of progmetal or prog in general
are in for a real treat when the hear this cd, this band is exceptional, and
gets my highest recommendation, this is one of those bands that offers
enough in musical quantity to appeal to fans of progmetal, progrock, fusion,
etc. They are simply that good.
prognisis
|
BAND >> |
CD >> |
LABEL >> |
MARK>> |
|
VENTURIA |
THE NEW KINGDOM |
LION MUSIC (2006) |
78% |
|
Described as a new era in
progressive metal, I should say that I agree.
Venturia definitly got something new and unique
to offer to fans of progressive metal. Other
than prog, you can feel the influence of pop &
metal. With the clean male vocals and beautiful
female voice, Venturia sound great. The melodies
are great, emotional and you got a lot of talent
in this band. It's easy to see that those guys
are more than excellent musician. Amazing
playing, fluidity, awesome skills and
technicaliity but the most imporant, it's well
played, not complicated prog that you won't
understand! In other word, those songs have a
soul! There's also a lot of hook and catchy
moments on this record. I really think prog
metal fans will love those beautiful melodies
and good grooves
www.thedarkesthours.com
|
|
|
VENTURIA
The New Kingdom
(Lion Music)
More and more bands want to have a
unique sound and to be unique. So lately we have various
combinations of metal music with other elements. When I received the
new album from Venturia and read that the band combines the
beautiful pop music with the progressive metal sound, I didn't
believe it until I had the chance to listen to it. This band from
France has achieved this combination, they have pop music elements
going hand in hand with progressive metal and this is what you are
about to listen to from "The New Kingdom". The band has used dual
vocals male and female ones, which are close to more pop
interpretations rather than metal ones and with influences from RUSH
and DREAM THEATER, we are offered this "strange" final result. I am
sure that if you listen to it for the first time you will be
surprised, but I think if you give them more time you will see that
they have some really well worked compositions with very interesting
ideas and above all, they have achieved to be unique! Despite liking
it or not, the truth is that this band has found their personal
sound!
Official Site:www.venturiasite.com
E-mail Band:
venturia@venturiasite.com
E-mail Promotion:
info@intromental.com
E-mail Label:
lion.sales@lionmusic.com
|
Antonis Maglaras -
Beyond the Veil |
|
VENTURIA - The New Kingdom
Lion Music LMC173
French neo classic prog metal with a clean production and melodies;
there's an element of Rush without such high vocals. The classical keyboards
are a great sound, , there's an element of Ra era Eloy with more fierce
guitar in the opening title track. "The Unholy One" has its atmospheric
moments and a more electronic rhythm, before a real grungy guitar cracks in.
Complex stuff! Shared male and female vocals work well too.
Pretty enjoyable throughout.
3.5/5
Joe Geesin www.themusicindex.com
|
|
Back in 2006 Venturia took the Progressive Metal world
by complete surprise. In a genre swamped with Dream
Theater wannabes that became staler by the month,
Venturia came along with their debut album, The New
Kingdom and breathed new life into a tired and jaded
music form.
CL