Ventana – American Survival Guide Volume 1

Sporting a contradictory combination of gas masks and formalwear, Ventana have made it their purpose to depict modern America as in a state of decay and Armageddon.  Featuring members ofMushroomhead they present their debut album, American Survival Guide Vol. 1, through a melodic combination of industrial metal, hardcore, a hint of horror, and electronic synth tones.  Their sound is a hard, aggressive amalgamation of influences that should find easy welcome from fans of acts like Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, and White Zombie.

As someone who doesn’t normally listen to industrial, ASG Vol. 1’s accessibility caught me off guard.  Ventana isn’t your usual one trick industrial pony – they may be dark, but they’re full of energy and unpredictable ideas.  The first track, “Watch Us Burn,” opens with a somber instrumental comprised of long drawn out synth notes and a carefully selected and overlapping an array of news sound bites describing society’s dependency on anti-depressants and pharmaceuticals.  Before long, the track breaks into chaos with vocalists Scott Beck and Rick Thomas trading between clean metal-like howls, pseudo rapping, and ominous demonic growls.  Behind these ever shifting vocals lays a core of changing tempos, heavy riffs, and smooth electronic beats.  With so much going on the band never loses focus, making “Watch Us Burn” exemplary of Ventana’s knack for harnessing coherence in chaos.

The majority of tracks clock in well over the four-minute mark, but never drag of feel unnecessary.  For example, tracks like “Cry little Sister,” “Swords,” and “The Sad history Of The World” make the most of their time, rearranging and reorienting their influences time and again.  Occasionally some tracks stray from the madness, providing welcome interludes.  “The Way The World Ends” consists entirely of an atmospheric introspective instrumental, and “Fallen Idol” scales things back to haunting near-whispers.  While certainly not album high points, their alternative approach certainly helps prevent ASG Vol. 1 from becoming overly ambitious or intense.

Lyrically, they construct their commentaries fairly well.  Tracks like “Stress Related” describe the effects of today’s stressful environment on individuals’ mental health and physical chemistry.  Others like “This Digital World” question the role of technology in “improving” daily life.  One passage sarcastically reads “gourmet meals in the microwave/cooked fresh by radioactive rays,” pointing to how unnatural life has become.

All in all, Ventana has crafted an easily accessible combination of industrial hardcore and synth enhanced metal.  ASG Vol. 1 has no gaping flaws, and despite their accessibility makes no sacrifice of intensity. Ventana have produced a stellar debut that should easy garner attention outside of its normally niche genre.  Volume 2 can’t come soon enough.