Percussimus Foedus cum Morte

Veneror is one of the bands of the new generation of the Italian underground scene. They consist of three members and they were formed in 2008 while they have released a demo and a full length album. “Percussimus Foedus cum Morte” is their first full length album which was released in January of 2013 and it contains eight compositions, seven Black Metal tracks and one instrumental introduction played on the keyboards, of thirty eight minutes of duration. The band has a lot of influences from the Scandinavian scene as also from the Italian, mainly concerning the occult atmosphere that we find in some parts and the avocation with witchcraft and its rituals in the lyrics.

The riffs are typical, Scandinavian, riffs, mostly fast, almost warlike, many times with an intense epic character while there are also some very nice thrashy passages in the tracks. The riffs although they are similar in their technique and style, the perfect structure and the changes inside the tracks, they maintain the listener’s interest undiminished throughout the duration of the track. The sound of the guitar is distorted but clean, while all the lines are played perfectly, with accuracy without lucking in passion and power. The is heard clearly and it fills the sound nicely, while the drums have interesting lines which don’t only fill the composition but they contribute to the power of the compositions and they do them more interesting with the turnings, the passages and their fast parts.

The tone of the voice is the typical, harsh Black Metal voice which we will meet in many bands with similar sound, but it is quite expressive and it fits to the sound. The sound is quite bassy, but without becoming dirty, it fits to the style of the compositions a lot. The mixture is very good as the sound is very massive and at the same time it is so clean that you can listen to every instrument clearly. The lyrics, which are contained in the cd, are written in English and they refer to Satanism, deal with witchcraft and the occult, while they make several references to the true Hellenic religion.

Veneror don’t stand out for their originality, but surely they offer an inspired album using the influences that they have creatively. I think that “Percussimus Foedus cum Morte” is a good effort, with interesting compositions and professionalism concerning the recording and the mixture, it will satisfy the fans of Black Metal. For sure it worth the listen.