It’s time for Zetra to release their debut album.
Entitled Zetra, it was released by Nuclear Blast after four demos and five EPs, in September 2024, and was created by Adam (guitar/vocals) and Jordan (keyboards/vocals).
The album opens with the driving Suffer Eternally, where catchy tones meet soaring clean vocals that fit perfectly with the Gothic atmosphere and coldness of the track, making it quite distant. The rhythm becomes stronger on Sacrifice, developing an even sharper contrast with the soothing vocals, but the composition becomes darker and darker, particularly on the slow break that leads us into Starfall, where we have Serena Cherry (Svalbard) placing her screams in the background. The track then takes on a certain angst that complements its initial quietude, before The Mirror offers a more rhythmic approach with an energetic instrumental, sometimes overlaid with soaring dissonance and futuristic keyboards. The duo is joined by Sólveig Matthildur (Kælan Mikla) to offer a softer touch to regular, heavy riffs that build into a pop atmosphere, before slowing down again to let Holy Malice (Annabel) follow suit with a relaxing slowness. The atmosphere becomes heavier again with Inseparable, recreating a touching melancholy where the vocalist slowly loses himself, aided by a few effects, before joining Gaia where the sound becomes more playful again, drawing on hazy Post-Punk influences. The riffs take a sharper turn with Moonfall, adopting screaming harmonics and welcoming Gabriel Franco (Unto Others) for a few words, splitting the long composition in two to make it even more majestic. Keyboards lead the way to Miracle, where gentleness takes over again, steering the final track towards airy tones that eventually fade away.
Zetra‘s debut album presents a universe tinged with calm, soaring influences that easily transports us. Zetra is an easy listen, whatever the circumstances.
75/100