ALBUM REVIEW: Zetra – Zetra
Two robed figures, draped in chains and wearing corpsepaint; this isn’t Norway in the 90s, though. Rather, it’s the mysterious duo ZETRA who’ve charmed and beguiled the scene across a smattering of EPs and support slots for varied acts from true crime/industrial act SKYND to the gothfather himself, VILLE VALO. All that while looking like they belong in the frostbitten woods, but playing a captivating, 80s-indebted take on synth rock that got them a deal with Nuclear Blast for this, their self-titled debut album.
Suffer Eternally isn’t the outlandish opening that the duo’s presentation would lead you to believe, but its stirring, higher-register melody is undoubtedly an earworm in waiting. Sacrifice, on the other hand, is far more ostentatious with chunky guitar echoing under those sci-fi synths and falsetto vocals. There’s even a quasi-breakdown a couple of minutes in; it’s one of the heavier tracks in their repertoire, though it’s given a good run for its money by Starfall that features SVALBARD’s Serena Cherry, who lends her formidable roars to the track. Unfortunately they feel a little too buried; while their being full volume might detract from the spacey, synth rock vibe, it wouldn’t have hurt to put more power behind them.
Zetra is at its best when it leans heaviest into its creators’ bombastic tendencies; Shatter The Mountain’s chorus is a wash of gorgeous synths and croons of the title, Gaia leans into bonkers, corpsepainted arena rock territory, echoing HIM at times, and Moonfall features UNTO OTHERS in a match made in goth heaven. Thundering guitars meet goth pomp in a wonderfully over the top six-minute rock opera. But unfortunately, there are moments where ZETRA falter and don’t quite live up to the promise they’ve so clearly got, as evidenced across the album.
Mirror’s chug doesn’t quite land, its electronic drums not quite packing a full punch other than the snare, even with the smears of synth less pronounced than before. Despite them being a duo, there’s a lot of different textures vying for attention, and that balance isn’t always struck. Holy Malice is a fun, cheesy near-power ballad that just needs a bit more oomph, while Shatter The Mountain, even with its stunning synth work, doesn’t quite hit the heavy heights its name suggests – which Sacrifice also clearly shows they can do.
All of this is to say, Zetra doubles down on a formula that’s already won them plenty of fans and Nuclear Blast’s backing and is a good album, especially for such a long-awaited debut that was garnering plenty of hype behind it. The minor quibbles around textures and mix are things that ZETRA can, and will, no doubt iron out over time as their progress from early EPs to now has shown, and their songwriting is the strongest it’s ever been. The world will (eventually) be ZETRA’s oyster, and this self-titled debut gets them a good start on the path.
Rating: 8/10
Zetra is set for release on September 13th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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