Peosphoros - Pink Metal review
| Band: | Peosphoros |
| Album: | Pink Metal |
| Style: | Experimental black metal |
| Release date: | March 30, 2018 |
| A review by: | Auntie Sahar |
01. Britney Therapy
02. Prostitutes Must Die In Genocide
03. Terrorism
04. Multiculturalism Is Genocide
05. Pink Metal
06. Rape And Kill Animals Attack Women
There has been a lot of controversy in the metal community as of late, and within the black metal community especially. Peosphoros have a little something to say about it.
Pink Metal, the debut from this new UK three piece, is an album that fires shots, and quite a lot of them. Confrontational, unapologetically offensive, and brutally satirical, it is a release that feels as though it was destined to happen, as a natural byproduct of metal's current socio-political atmosphere. Several damning accusations of sexual misconduct against notable band members. A borderline witch-hunt for bands with questionable lyrical content that may be perceived as Nazi-esque. Bands backing down in the face of protests against them, canceling shows or even entire tours in the process. The contradictions between what sort of behavior is and isn't likely to be tolerated within metal fandom in general. Peosphoros look at all that is going around them and choose to neither pick a side nor sit on a fence, but to launch into a furious lyrical crusade against the faults they find among all parties involved, while simultaneously espousing an ideology that seems to be impossible to lump into any single camp.
Following in the nature of satire, the lyrical message of Peosphoros appears to be coming mostly from the perspective of individuals or groups the band is poking fun at, as opposed to being beliefs actually held by the members. If one has been following the more drama-fueled side of metal media as of late, here one will notice references to sex offenders, white supremacy, radical Islam, feminism, Antifa, Facebook policy, and more, all of which are in the cross hairs of Peosphoros. What really makes Pink Metal unique, however, is that it simultaneously seems to both reject and embrace different aspects of these various hot button issues at the same time, often issues that (theoretically) would be in fundamental opposition to each other. The band will say that they hail both Hitler and ISIS in the same track, claim that they want to be dictators at one point while lampooning censorship the next, ridicule black metal while also playing it, and other such examples. The intent here is admittedly difficult to decipher, but I think the point being made by the band is the supreme importance of self expression, and that those wishing to limit it for one reason or another are unaware that they will only create more problems than they solve by doing so.
While Peosphoros are likely to draw the most attention from the sheer extremity of their lyrical content and imagery, the matter of their music itself should certainly not be ignored either. At its core it is black metal, but of a highly idiosyncratic variety. Guitar is not present at all, with a thunderous, distorted bass that often gets quite bouncy and catchy deciding to compensate. The impressive drum work keeps the tempo pleasantly variating between frantic barrages and more moderate grooves. Vocals alternate between all three members, and over the album's 29 minutes a combination of growls, shrieks, operatic female vocals, and spoken word parts delivered in a stereotypically LGBT accent are employed. The latter can get very irritating after a point, but given the overall aesthetic of the band, I'm almost inclined to say that this is intentional, as it only serves to make their humor that much darker and more puzzling. Overall, the multifaceted and atypical nature of Peosphoros' music reflects that set out by their lyrics, and serves as a powerful complement.
Pink Metal is inevitably an album that will shock, disturb, anger, satisfy, and entertain depending upon the individual engaging it. It is not in any means "made for everyone," and relentless in both its lyrical and music delivery. One could raise the issue here of this being a group of individuals looking for agitation simply for the sake of it, but when their content is really placed within the context of what has been going on lately within the metal community, it comes almost as a moment of clarity. Everyone is wrong, no one is right, and the only truth to be known is that which one creates for themselves: this, more than anything, appears to be the "Peosphoros ethos." While this band and album are likely to be rejected outright by a wide swath of people, ultimately it should be remembered that the best artists are often those who create for their times, speaking directly to the generation from which they are coming. In this regard then, there is little fault that I can find with the mission of Peosphoros, because like it or not, they are doing just that.
It's time to go pink.
*Review 200. I could not be more happy in celebrating it with this refreshingly original and daring album. Cheers to any and all who helped me get here.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | 14.05.2018
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 75
Visited by: 510 users
| VileVick-Bryant Posts: 803  |
While I'll admit some of it that I heard sounds interesting so far, I don't know what I really think about this album yet. I think I can get used to the death metal growls and some of the other stuff. To be honest this didn't bother me as much as Kitties Of Death. The vocals on that was like nails on a chalkboard
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Written by VileVick-Bryant on 15.05.2018 at 13:55 Yeah that's kinda what I'm thinking as well... the clean vocals here (bar those operatic ones, which are actually quite impressive) can definitely get quite bothersome, but they somewhat serve the purpose of the utter ridiculousness and social lampooning at the heart of the band. And yes, there are certainly worse examples out there 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
*listens to album as I browse their social media pages* As a self-appointed authority on irony, this is so beyond edgy and try-hard that it made me cringe out of my skin. But I guess that level of discomfort is pretty fucking metal, huh? Also, I really do appreciate the level of dedication to the bit, for better or for worse.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 15.05.2018 at 19:02 "A+ for effort" is certainly my take away as well. As for the project as a whole: I will keep it in mind because I want to like it. I find a sense of vague dadaism in how many opinions it wants to voice... But I simply can not enjoy one of such voices. Meanwhile I'm gonna sit down and wait for new Yayla or Chaoscunt releases.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 15.05.2018 at 19:02 Well I know you like some downright wacky shit man, so I can certainly appreciate when you say a band is just a little too much for you  I admittedly had more faults with this album than this review may really let on upon initially checking out the band. Eventually though I just kind of came to admit "well, they're definitely doing a good job at unsettling and getting the point across!", and I think that led to me getting a lot more into it. Besides, I feel like I've really approached a time in my listening where I don't really go into albums looking for one thing over another, but just willing to experience what the artists themselves want to present. And Pink Metal is, uh..... definitely one hell of a presentation
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62004  |
What is this, punks is mot dead, but a bit blackish metallish rebellish style? funny song tittles,
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| flightoficarus Stamp Tramp Posts: 1116  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 15.05.2018 at 00:01 Seriously lol. Love your signature btw. Twin Peaks is amazing.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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| Czerny Reiter Posts: 291  |
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| Vermoorden Posts: 141  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 15.05.2018 at 13:12 Voicing my opinion on a review isn't a waste of time to me, actually listening to the music is. I enjoy having discussions on music, period, regardless of my opinions on them. Can't really discuss a zero effort rebuttal like yours though.
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2390  |
If Milo Yiannopoulos went metal haha.... Tbh, I find the album quite enjoyable. It definitely has its moments, the bass/drum duo works fairly well in this combination. The vocal clusterfuck is obviously a product of the concept, but I don't find it annoying or anything. Was not surprised to see Mr. Toğrul behind this 
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7561  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 14.05.2018 at 05:48 Dude, I'm making a habit to read "Britney Therapy" lyrics before lunch and after dinner. I might give a shot before sleep as it is now becoming my most favorite "piece".
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| Desha delicious dish Posts: 817  |
I like the music but the subject matter is so boring and annoying that I porbably won't listen to it a lot.
---- You are the hammer, I am the nail building a house in the fire on the hill
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| boo-boo Posts: 208  |
I'm sorry, I'm just not able to listen to this. I don't want to blame the artist, but it sure as hell isn't my fault. 
---- World won't end today - it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Vermoorden on 16.05.2018 at 02:13 If it appears as a "zero effort rebuttal," that's probably owed to the fact that I don't put much of an effort into long winded online debates with people I don't personally know or feel some sort of connection to (eg you). That I certainly consider as a waste of my time, especially in cases where opinions are at such opposite ends of the spectrum and neither person is likely to change the other's mind. Have at the opinion voicing. As I'm not really the type of person who often feels a need to go out of my way to publicly voice dissenting opinions, however, I just derive a little amusement from those who do and the fact that making others aware of their dissatisfaction often appears more important than sparing themselves the frustration. That's all.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Vombatus on 16.05.2018 at 02:57 It is quite the interesting combo, isn't it? Quite fresh and can't think of many other bands doing something like that. As much as I enjoy and support the band message as well though, almost makes me wish the lyrical topic was something different so that then people would be a little more likely to appreciate the originality behind the music since it wouldn't be as overshadowed by the theme.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| musclassia Staff Posts: 7621  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2018 at 13:12 This seems a slightly bizarre comment to me, in your view people should either agree with the reviewer or STFU? Not sure what's amusing about people who disagree with a reviewer on an album stating so and explaining why rather than comment threads just being hive minds. Particularly if a review is especially glowing/negative and the listener had an inverse opinion they wished to share with other potential listeners. I would've thought differences in opinion are a good thing as long as it's respectful (which on here and many places elsewhere often isn't the case), and I thought the guy above was generally reasonable with his comment (I totally agree with his opinion on this album FWIW). I seem to remember both of us commenting on that Marduk (?) vs Antifa thread here a few months back where the general vibe of the comment thread was not in line with our own views.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by musclassia on 16.05.2018 at 15:18 It's absolutely not "agree or STFU," and that's quite the leap off of what I said. However, I understand if my wording may lead to that conclusion, so let me clarify. If you noticed, several other people commented earlier here voicing sentiments of distaste with the album, and I responded (I would like to believe) rather respectfully and with comments propelling the conversation into interesting topics of "what would make the album better to you?" and the like. I do not have a problem with inverse opinions, I have a problem with inverse opinions voiced abrasively and in a manner that is more likely to set people off than lead to constructive conversation. You take Mr. Vermooden's comments as reasonable if you like, but comments like "this is trash" and "retarded massive turd" from someone else earlier do nothing for me other than come across as pointless whining that is more for the sake of the individual letting off steam than it is for fueling a varied, civil discussion. In the face of such comments, an attitude thus arises in my head that if something bothers someone so much that they can't do anything but rant and use go to insult words in response, they're not really giving anything of benefit to the conversation. So yes, then it becomes amusing to see them still devoting so much time and energy to the matter when in my view (key words) what they're doing serves more to foster discord and anger than understanding and exchange of divergent viewpoints. I'm really not trying to be General Asshole on this thread, and hope that kind of cleared some things up.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| musclassia Staff Posts: 7621 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2018 at 16:07 No worries, it's cool, I was just bored at work and I thought the comment I quoted seemed a bit peculiar coming from you, given that I wouldn't consider your opinions or musical tastes to be indicative of conformity. Maybe I'm more receptive to Vermoorden's comment because I can see how someone would consider this music to sound like 'trash', but I thought his comment was blunt, but not hostile or inflammatory. But I definitely get where you're coming from with what you're saying here.
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| Mercurial Posts: 1175  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2018 at 16:07 Dunno dude, you kind of have to see the irony here: you're sort of attacking him for expressing his opinion and thought because he chose a strong and somehwta direct way of doing so, yet right here you've reviewed and are defending a band who choose to express themselves in a way that causes (or at least intends to cause) "discord and anger." He uses terms like "trash" to get his point across, whereas Peosphoros to use terms like "fag," "rape" and all manner of controversial terminology and imagery to get their views heard. I feel like Peosphoros are about freedom of expression so I don't think even they would have an issue with people having strong, dissenting opinions about their music. He did at least preface his opinion with some potential discussion material as well which has gone unaddressed.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Mercurial on 16.05.2018 at 17:53 Meh, show me a person who isn't hypocritical or contradictory at some point or another in their lives and I'll show you a unicorn I get what you mean, and point taken. Indeed, I am coming off as though brutal provocative language is OK as long as employed in a way that serves my interests. How I try to circumvent this more competitive, primate-dominant aspect of my personality, but alas, sometimes it comes to the forefront. I suppose my inner chimpanzee is just particularly rowdy today 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Mercurial Posts: 1175 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2018 at 17:59 It's all in good spirits anyway, and I'm sure the band are loving that this review and album are causing some emotional reactions from people
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2018 at 13:22 I disagree on this one. I really think it's just those highpitched dumb blonde gay vocals that stop most of people. Not the theme per se.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Vermoorden Posts: 141 |
Written by musclassia on 16.05.2018 at 15:18 This is exactly the way I feel about this whole thread. This album is obviously intended to create debate, yet its somehow a waste of time to voice my opinion if its negative? Kind of goes against the entire point of this album doesn't it? 
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| Karlabos Posts: 5736  |
Golly heavens would you look at the time. It's time for some popcorn!! 
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Marcus Doit Like Bernie Posts: 642  |
I'm really torn on this project. I think it's an interesting exercise and appreciate the underlying idea of free speech exposing modern selective censorship. At the same time, the message gets lost in part because the music is so inconsistent: I surprisingly enjoy most of the bass and drums and didn't really mind the "gay" vocals, but the rest of the vocals (besides the operatic vocals on one song and occasional rougher vocals) are so poor that it's pretty jarring. I think it would also have been more effective if the lyrics and their Youtube videos/facebook posts weren't so obvious. Like some other people have mentioned, it's easy to brush them aside when you already know that their lyrical content isn't serious and comes across more as an intentional joke than anything else. That said, metal fans and the people who have recently taken up crusades against metal are so easy to piss off that it doesn't really matter. On a totally unrelated note, I'm a little concerned that I dig Reimu's heavily made-up, blood covered look.
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| musclassia Staff Posts: 7621 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 16.05.2018 at 21:02 Yeah I don't even know what most of the songs are about because I can't understand most of the lyrics and haven't sat down to read them, I just don't think it sounds good, even if the wacky vocal approaches and lack of guitar (even though I feel like the bass sounds like BM guitar a lot of the time anyway here) are unique musical decisions. Even looking past the lote/hate vocals I don't think the instrumentation is particularly gripping anyway
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100  |
Sounds shitty, tryhard and phony. It's also not good at all.
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2390 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2018 at 13:22 Yup, I really like that bass sound (guitar at times if you ask me) and the drums make it quite "bouncy" as you said, mainly coz of the variation and rhythms. It has this neat industrial/garage punkish (?) feel. It is not complex nor requires much skill but those little changes make it so much more interesting and catchy, I do not get why more bands do that. Maybe that is why I like this, the fact it does not follow the fundaments of your average band, which is often too rigid and stuck-up as if you have to follow a fixed pattern ("on every verse, always play the same beat, don't change dynamics or dare adding an off note" or "not good to use four vocal styles in a song" kind of mentality). Lyrics in metal are mostly anecdotal I'd say, especially if you don't understand them through the music, as it is often the case in extreme metal (requiring to check the booklet). The last song has none of the "fabulous" vocals, so I bet anyone into experimental BM could appreciate it if they didn't see/read the band/lyrics beforehand, which will create prejudice as it modifies the initial perception for sure. This wouldn't have half the hate if it had the typical BM shriek and hailed Satan & shit. It would have also made it invisible to a lot of people considering the endless pit of music availability that makes averageness instantly overlooked (unless you like the latest melodic death metal signed on Nuclear Blast and that kind of thing )
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Probably the last thing out of me here, but something that really dawned on me earlier rereading comments here... It's rather funny to me how people criticize this thing for being edgy, try hard, and cringey considering the sheer amount of edginess, try hard-ism, and cringey behavior within the realm of extreme metal in general, and black metal more than anything. I can't help but laugh and casually brush such comments aside considering other bands such as Marduk, Behemoth, Watain, Destroyer 666, Shining, and more that regularly go on and on with ridiculous, pseudo extreme antics for the sake of stirring the shit pot, reinforcing their confrontational imagery, and bringing themselves more publicity.... not too unlike what Peosphoros are doing here. I have never seen responses to any of the artists I listed above on this site or elsewhere that are even remotely as negative as the feedback this album is receiving here. They've been doing idiotic, buffoonish shit for years for the sake of pissing people off and proving whatever points they're trying to make, and hardly anyone bats an eye because with them it's just all part of the show. This attitude says to me that the issue is less about bands being provocative, edgy, and try hard, and more about the particular music that they're using to complement such behavior. Joke's on me then I suppose for underestimating just how much of a knot a guitar-less band that employs whiny "gay vocals" can really get peoples' panties in. On a site where I often see far more complaining and "X sucks, Y is better" comments than comments of praise and admiration, however, I guess I'm in little position to be surprised. I think that both through this albums' lyrics as well as their frequent social media postings, the members behind Peosphoros display that they're a lot more aware of this than some may think, the irony of the fact that a band as obscure as they are is actually likely to get more shit for their controversial, provocative approach than big name bands who are just as provocative are simply because their delivery is so unorthodox. They're aware of the fact that people are more likely to react negatively to them because of how bizarre and unpleasant their musical approach is, and they're taking advantage of the fact that listeners today often become so vocal about what they think is wrong with a piece of music to use that to attract greater attention to themselves. The dismissal, the insulting, and the scathing criticism only serves to make these guys more powerful, solidify their vision, and turn more eyes towards them. So cheers to a 2 page thread that really just serves to help them with that agenda before it does anything else. As someone kind of implied above, if there's anyone that really "won" this thread, it's the band themselves. Apoth out.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7561 |
Just like me, people always appreciate the fact that they publicly bash music which might be rudderless or far from the level of actual mockery that pisses listeners off. Don't take me wrong but if you have to face a flak from listeners and you trying to nag away just because members involved in a band are your friends, then you might be taking straight to your heart.
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