“Searching for the ideal unity of infinity.“
North Dakota-based Phobophilic have garnered a respectful buzz of attention ahead of their new album Enveloping Absurdity. Much rides on an extreme metal band’s first full-length release, and this is one that certainly delivers, with consistently excellent songwriting, real character, and amazing performances.
Death metal is an increasingly diverse genre, with bands continually carving out their own niches. The performances and songwriting on Enveloping Absurdity are not as abstract or inhuman as a band like Demilich, nor technical or high tempo like Spawn of Possession. It’s not thrashy like mid-era Death, or bluntly brutal like Cryptopsy. It’s in this goldilocks zone between its influences: spades of fast playing and aggressive drumming, with tempo-twists aplenty, whilst being immediate and thoroughly headbangable. The best comparison I can draw is if Tomb Mold swapped their tomb for a real studio, lost most of their pedals in the process, cranked the treble, and played a great show.
Phobophilic have a particular knack for transitioning between tempos. Third track and single, “Nauseating Despair“, showcases this mastery well; its opening establishes several riffs that blur together, drums and guitars sharing in the storytelling. After churning down into a slow passage, a majestic guitar solo plays the band out. This could have been the song’s conclusion, but then the track turns on a dime. The whole band contorts into a double-time beatdown, which builds, ever more complex, towards partial reprises of the introduction’s riffs at its the conclusion. It’s often tricky to “get familiar” with a dense death metal track like this, but “Nauseating Despair” is increasingly rewarding as you dedicate more time to it.
Other key tracks include the bookends “Enantiodromia” and “Enveloping Obscurity“, showcasing their knack for lengthier and more complex songs. If you just want a tasty, straightforward riff, “Survive in Obscurity”’s mid-section has you covered. Just don’t expect most of their musical ideas to stick for too long, as their songwriting approach avoids direct repetition wherever possible.
What Phobophilic have produced is in some ways ‘straightforward’. There are no extra sounds beyond the two guitars, bass, drums, and growled vocals. If, like me, you enjoy your extreme metal without the needless budget horror movie samples, this is a good decision. It allows the Phobophilic to sound exactly like band playing their best show.
But that’s not the same as the sound being boring – the mix job is a snug fit for this singular purpose. Even the vocals take the backseat, buried under rumbling drums (an incredible performance by Vincent Tweten). Though you can hear the bass distortion flicker in and out when the music is less busy, I’d like to have heard a bit more detail and character from the low end. Importantly, there’s no needless “cavern” reverb overarching everything, which has become a divisive trend in the genre. Instead, the band hopes their performances convey all the atmosphere that the record requires. If you’re after a fresh death metal release that plays it straight, look no further than Enveloping Absurdity. If you just need something to ease you into the genre, this release is ideal — it’s not overlong, and offers you a breather as the B-side opens with “Individuation“.
8/10
Enveloping Absurdity will be available tomorrow, September 16th, via Prosthetic Records, and you can pre-order it here.