Keeping it true to the influence of their other projects Catholic Spit and Maask, Ventura has cranked out yet another great outfit from the doldrums of beach town boredom – Detoxi. Debuting at an astonishing ten tracks for their first release, the tape runs the gamut between fierce classic death rock to more mid-tempo, cavernous ballads. The vocals are well projected but never get to the point of breaking into a harsh scream, abandoning melody. To their credit, they even employ vocal harmonies reminiscent of choral ghosts in a decaying cathedral. Using the bass to carry most of the melodies, the guitar serves some leads but often remains bolstering the overall mid-range with the help of the keys in an archetypal church organ or full orchestral strings.
For a first glimpse into their world, this is a catchy, full-bodied presentation with just enough surprises through listening to keep you repeating tracks so as to take in everything present. They just played L.A. Dark Fest and promise more in the coming year. Grab the cassette from Dune Altar here and the CD from Bat Cave Productions here.
