A four-member band based in Geneva, Switzerland, Versatile has steadily emerged as a compelling presence within Europe’s extreme metal underground. Drawing on a synthesis of black metal’s dissonant intensity and industrial music’s mechanical precision, the group has cultivated a distinctive identity both sonically and visually. Their work reflects a deliberate emphasis on theatricality and thematic depth, characteristics that position them at the intersection of aggression and atmosphere in contemporary metal. Through careful self-production and an uncompromising aesthetic vision, Versatile has established a foundation that now supports their first major full-length release.

Released on April 11, 2025, ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ represents a critical juncture in the band’s development. Issued through the French label Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions, the album consolidates the band’s evolving artistic direction into a cohesive body of work centered on themes of existential dread, horror, and psychological descent. Fully performed in French and meticulously constructed around cold industrial textures and violent black metal structures, ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ aims to broaden Versatile’s reach across Switzerland, France, and the broader European dark music community.

Background and Origins

Founded in 2019 by vocalist Hatred Salander, Versatile emerged from Geneva’s dynamic underground scene with a vision deeply rooted in both sonic extremity and gothic theatricality. From its inception, the band sought to bridge the violent, dissonant arpeggios characteristic of black metal with the cold, mechanical elements of industrial soundscapes. This fusion, articulated by the band as a defining aspect of their identity, formed the cornerstone of a musical approach that privileges atmosphere without sacrificing aggression.

Beyond their distinctive sound, Versatile’s visual and conceptual framework draws heavily from historical and macabre sources. Inspired by the ossuary vastness of Paris’s Catacombs and the medieval “Cour des Miracles,” the band’s imagery evokes a sense of decay, darkness, and ritualistic intensity. The lineup—comprising Hatred Salander on vocals, Cinis and Famine on guitars, and Morphée on drums—operates as a cohesive entity, merging disciplined musicianship with a carefully curated aesthetic that underscores their broader artistic ambitions. Through methodical development and a clear creative direction, Versatile has positioned itself as a singular force within Switzerland’s evolving extreme metal landscape.

Debut Album: ‘Les Litanies du Vide’

Released on April 11, 2025, ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ marks a pivotal achievement for Versatile, establishing their presence with a fully realized debut on the respected French label Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions. The album, whose title translates to “The Litany of the Void,” consolidates the band’s evolving artistic direction into a singular work that captures their commitment to blending industrial coldness with black metal’s relentless dissonance. In choosing to partner with a label known for championing dark, genre-defying acts across Europe, Versatile positions itself within a broader network of experimental and extreme music traditions rooted in the French and Swiss underground scenes.

‘Les Litanies du Vide’ stands as Versatile’s first full-length release, following earlier shorter works, most notably the ‘Monstre’ single issued in 2023. Although distributed under the auspices of Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions, the album remains officially listed as a self-production, highlighting the band’s insistence on retaining creative autonomy.

Across ten tracks spanning approximately 42 minutes, the album constructs an immersive sonic landscape entirely in French, maintaining a coherent thematic focus centered on horror, existential anguish, and psychological decay. Titles such as ‘Géhenne,’ ‘Enfant Zéro,’ ‘Morphée,’ and ‘Monstre’ illustrate the continuity of the band’s narrative ambitions, with ‘Monstre’ serving as a bridge between their initial recordings and this more expansive statement. Through its cohesive structure and deliberate aesthetic, ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ affirms Versatile’s intent to offer not merely a collection of songs, but a sustained descent into a meticulously crafted world of darkness.

Musical Style and Themes

‘Les Litanies du Vide’ deepens Versatile’s pursuit of a sound that intertwines the harsh textures of black metal with the mechanical precision of industrial music. Building upon the foundations laid by their earlier recordings, the album exhibits a heightened complexity in both composition and delivery, signaling a deliberate refinement of the band’s artistic vocabulary. The tracks move with an unrelenting momentum, propelled by abrasive guitar riffs, blast beats, and cold, rhythmic industrial patterns that collectively produce a dense, immersive soundscape.

Vocally, the album expands beyond traditional black metal screaming to incorporate a broader range of techniques, including fry screaming and moments of clean singing. This variation lends additional dimension to the record’s atmosphere, enhancing the emotional weight without sacrificing intensity. The interplay between distorted instrumentation and more measured, atmospheric passages allows Versatile to navigate shifts in mood while maintaining thematic coherence.

Lyrically and thematically, ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ remains firmly anchored in the macabre and existential. The choice to compose and perform entirely in French further situates the album within a specific cultural tradition, infusing the work with a sense of localized darkness that resonates with the historical influences the band openly embraces. Songs such as ‘Géhenne,’ ‘Enfant Zéro,’ and ‘Le Mal Nécessaire’ explore narratives of psychological unraveling, damnation, and the void, consistent with the band’s overarching aesthetic. Through both its sonic aggression and its conceptual rigor, ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ offers listeners a fully immersive experience designed to confront themes of horror and existential isolation with unflinching intensity.

Production, Artwork and Distribution

The production of ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ reflects a careful balance between raw intensity and technical precision, a result achieved through the collaboration with Swiss producer Serge Morattel. Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Geneva’s Rec Studio, the album benefits from Morattel’s experience in shaping extreme music with a polished yet unrelenting sound. His involvement ensures that the album’s dense layers — from the chaotic guitar work to the underlying industrial frameworks — are rendered with clarity without diminishing their abrasive impact. The decision to partner with a local studio further emphasizes Versatile’s commitment to maintaining control over the aesthetic and sonic integrity of their work.

The visual presentation of ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ is a critical extension of Versatile’s artistic identity, crafted to mirror the album’s thematic preoccupations with decay, desolation, and existential dread. Designed by Leoncio Harmr, a graphic artist recognized for his dark, surrealistic interpretations of gothic architecture and atmospheric landscapes, the cover artwork depicts a towering, fragmented structure enshrouded in mist and shadow. The image evokes a profound sense of collapse and isolation, aligning seamlessly with the emotional and conceptual terrain explored throughout the album’s ten tracks.

Harmr’s approach to art is characterized by a deliberate focus on psychological disintegration, employing stark contrasts between monumental forms and ephemeral surroundings to suggest the fragility of human constructs. His work often blurs the boundaries between the real and the unreal, favoring a style that emphasizes mood over literal representation. In the case of ‘Les Litanies du Vide,’ this method amplifies the record’s sonic impact, offering a visual corollary to the band’s fusion of industrial severity and black metal intensity. The somber palette of muted greens and yellows, combined with the overwhelming scale of the decaying edifice, reinforces the album’s central themes without resorting to explicit narrative, allowing the imagery to function as an open-ended reflection of the void that the music inhabits.

While the album remains a self-production under the band’s authority, distribution and promotional efforts are handled by Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions, a French label renowned for its support of innovative and genre-defying artists within the extreme metal community. This collaboration not only provides Versatile with an established platform for reaching audiences across France, Switzerland, and beyond but also situates them within a broader movement of European acts seeking to expand the boundaries of black and industrial metal.

Visual Identity and Artistic Collaboration

Visual presentation has become an essential element for artists seeking distinction within the contemporary extreme metal genre. In Switzerland and France, this tradition holds particular significance, with many bands regarding visual art as an extension of their musical narrative rather than a peripheral addition. Versatile’s collaboration with graphic artist Leoncio Harmr reflects a deliberate continuation of this practice.

Harmr’s work, rooted in gothic, surreal, and apocalyptic imagery, complements the band’s thematic direction without resorting to imitation. Through this partnership, Versatile strengthens its position within a cultural lineage that values atmosphere and conceptual coherence, while affirming a visual identity that remains both distinct and aligned with the broader evolution of European dark music aesthetics.

The decision to prioritize such a cohesive visual narrative reflects an understanding of how imagery can enhance thematic resonance, deepening the listener’s engagement beyond the auditory experience. In Versatile’s case, the stark and desolate architecture depicted on ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ does more than set a tone; it mirrors the psychological landscapes the band explores through their music. It situates them culturally within a European tradition of extreme music that embraces not only sonic extremity but a broader artistic ambition, one that seeks to envelop the audience fully in a constructed world of sound, image, and emotion.

As the band continues to expand its reach across European audiences, the strength of their visual presentation—rooted in Harmr’s dark surrealism—offers a compelling foundation for building a lasting identity within a crowded and often visually saturated field. It is a strategic and artistic choice that reinforces the seriousness of their debut statement, signaling that Versatile’s aspirations extend far beyond the ephemeral trends of the underground and toward a lasting contribution to the evolution of extreme metal’s artistic frontiers.

‘Morphée’: Visual and Sonic Extension

Further expanding the reach of ‘Les Litanies du Vide,’ Versatile recently released a video single for the track ‘Morphée,’ offering a visual interpretation that reinforces the album’s central themes. Directed with a minimalist yet oppressive aesthetic, the video presents stark imagery that mirrors the song’s lyrical exploration of sleep, decay, and existential disintegration. Dark, claustrophobic settings dominate the visual narrative, emphasizing a sense of entrapment and inevitable decline consistent with the band’s broader artistic vision.

‘Morphée’ encapsulates many of the album’s defining characteristics: cold industrial rhythms, dissonant guitar passages, and shifting vocal textures that alternate between harshness and eerie calm. As a single, the track serves both as an accessible entry point for new listeners and as a deeper immersion for those familiar with the band’s conceptual framework. Its release has helped sustain momentum following the album’s debut, providing additional exposure through visual media platforms and reinforcing Versatile’s commitment to a fully integrated audiovisual experience.

In situating ‘Morphée’ as a prominent representation of their debut, Versatile continues to bridge the gap between sound and vision, enhancing the immersive qualities that define their approach and solidifying their presence within the evolving European dark metal landscape.

Conclusion

With ‘Les Litanies du Vide,’ Versatile establishes itself as a force within the European extreme metal landscape, offering a debut that is both conceptually ambitious and meticulously executed. By combining the harsh textures of black metal with the mechanized rhythms of industrial music, the band articulates a vision that is as unrelenting as it is immersive, grounded in a distinctly gothic and existential aesthetic. The release of the video single ‘Morphée’ further extends their reach, demonstrating a capacity to translate their thematic concerns into a cohesive audiovisual form.

As they continue to navigate the complexities of the genre, Versatile stands poised to expand their influence beyond Switzerland’s underground, appealing to a broader European audience attuned to innovation within the darker realms of sound. ‘Les Litanies du Vide’ marks not only the culmination of their formative years but also the beginning of a trajectory defined by an uncompromising dedication to atmosphere, precision, and artistic authenticity.

Readers who have engaged with Versatile’s work — whether through ‘Les Litanies du Vide,’ live performances, or earlier releases — are invited to share their perspectives on the band’s artistic evolution and place within the broader extreme metal community.