MEGAFAUNA - Venator (Album Premiere)

Written by: The Administrator

Those of you with an uncanny memory may recall that, towards the end of my recent review of Megafauna's eerie and excellent Venator, I made mention of a premiere. Here we are, folks. Venator will officially be released this Friday, April 19th, via Syrup Moose Records, but if you're unwilling to wait, we invite you to listen to it in full below.

Of course, some preparation is called for If you're invested in full experience, I highly recommend hiking into the deepest darkest forest you can reasonably find. Walk until you find a dilapidated shack, or perhaps a large pile of bones that look suspiciously familiar. Set up camp. Wait for dark, and then wait for your flashlight battery to die. Make peace with the fact that there is almost certainly something in the woods, and i̵̲̾͑̏t̷̜̝̳̏ ̸̼͝i̴͉̥̲̗͋̊s̵̨̬̹͙͓͕̿̈̉̔̌͠ ̵̡̭̜̩͌̈́̽͛̌̚ͅͅw̶̧̹̮̯̌̈ą̴̹̼̮̼̖́̆̑͆̓͝t̵̨̨͇̺̂̇̇̅͆̋͜͠c̶̢̧̻̞̈́̓͝ḥ̶̢͐̉̄̓̓̋i̷̦͈̠̎̇̊͂̔͠n̵̼͛g̴̨̮͉̲̠͆.

Check out Venator below, and, as always, we'll meet you on the other side. Much to the chagrin of pretty much everyone, I'm not done waxing poetic just yet.

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As I've continued to listen and sink into this album, I've continued to enjoy the oddities and nuances that make each track feel distinct. The album feels cohesive, but every next track feels as much of a  standalone as it does a part of a larger puzzle. For example, I'm increasingly fascinated with the weird sounds and downright uncomfortable aura on "Beneath The Gallows," which has me fully convinced that Megafauna should be first in line to soundtrack the next Skinamarink knockoff. In all of its cascading plunkiness and humming atmosphere, this track reminds me of early 90's terror in a way I really can't put into words. It shares a clear sense of anxiety with, say, followup  "F E A R A N D E X H A U S T I O N," but that same emotion is realized in a very different way. Less foreboding, more menacing. Take any random track and contrast it with another, and despite the intrinsic sonic and aesthetic differences, the fact that they come from the same project feels exceedingly apparent. In other words, the unsettling vibe abides. And that, I hasten to add, is a very good thing.

The use of vocal samples throughout is also something that I've come to appreciate more and more over repeat listens--they serve as a loose narrative frame that helps contextualize emotive cacophony. It's a smart tool, and the album benefits from the structure, imagined or otherwise.

As we wind down towards an eventual conclusion, this statement from the artist helps contextualize the whole affair: Ventator is "an album created in various stages of exhaustion, mental illness, bursts of creativity, fear, anger, sadness, joy, nihilism and limited free time. The second effort from MEGAFAUNA and an outlet and means of processing of some long dormant feelings, or feelings thought exorcised. Maybe it shouldn't exist, but it does. Maybe I shouldn't, but I do."

And there you have it! After spending significant time with Venator, I sincerely hope you enjoy/fear/connect with this album as much as I have.

Megafauna - Venator will be released April 19th, 2024 via Syrup Moose Records. Preorder here!

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Megafauna can be found:
Bandcamp
Instagram