Vetala – Retarded Necro Demential Hole

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Luckily, there is Encyclopaedia Metallum, for this was the only place I could find any information on this obscure Black Metal band from Portugal. Formed in the mid-2000’s their career to date includes mostly splits. “Retarded Necro Demential Hole” is four extended tracks, and their third full-length album to date. The first track, isn’t much more than noise. The drums sound like they were recorded in a garage and there is an annoying display of solitary guitar notes. The vocals are the real deal however. Some ambient passages help to break the chaos here and there, but this is pretty far from the traditional definition of “music.” The second track is twice as long, clocking in at over fifteen minutes. The guitars are just buried in this awful production job. All you can really hear is the constant crashing of cymbals and Black Metal shrieks. Again, some ambient passages spring up here and there but this is mostly just noise.

The third track opens with what could be considered a semi-traditional guitar riff but once the drums come in it is fairly drowned out. The vocals are the one constant here as well, sounding like the tortured wails from your soul. An ill-fated guitar solo is attempted but fails miserably. The fourth track is just over eleven minutes in length. A somewhat sappy guitar riff is juxtaposition with the vocals. There are also long moments of inactivity, as if the band is resting from all of the belting vocals and steady drumming. Overall, I’m not sure if the band takes themselves seriously or not. I’m assuming they do, as they’ve had a prolific career in the splits releases. But, I could not find much to champion here. It’s pretty much one of the worst albums I have ever heard, with equally horrible production. Don’t waste your time here,

Songwriting: 2
Originality: 3
Memorability: 1
Production: 1