P.H.O.B.O.S. - Atonal Hypermnesia - review
P.H.O.B.O.S. - Atonal Hypermnesia - review
Tracklist
01. Necromegalopolis Of Coprolites02. Maelström Mani Padme Hum
03. Solar Defrag
04. Transonic Mahasamadhi
A review by
X-Ray Rod May 29, 2012
In the industrial family, P.H.O.B.O.S. seems to be Blut Aus Nord's cousin and Uncle Godflesh's nephew. He's quite a sophisticated and independent relative though, using some of the mechanical aspects seen in Godflesh but taking away the bludgeoning and aggressive aspect of it in order to have a much colder and indifferent tone. Sounds similar of his compatriots can be heard in the highly dissonant guitars yet again the project's mastermind Frédéric Sacri demonstrates that he's one of the smarter cookies around by taking such sounds and molding them for his own purposes, slowing the riffing to a glacial and agonizing pace.
The result? A monolithic machine with its only mission being the dehumanization of our society. Four movements of calculated madness that transcends genres like industrial, doom, and black in almost an hour. Such crushing sounds demand a fitting delivery and I'm glad to tell you that sound-wise this album has been taken care of perfectly. The guitars are way back in the mix as if they were played underwater, giving plenty of room for the hypnotic and reverb-friendly percussion to hit your brain cells to the point you are left as an emotionless being. Don't think the guitarwork isn't important though! While being less upfront than the percussion, those great dissonant riffs are easily noticeable, providing some of the most memorable moments in the album with its droning ambience.
There's not much to say about the vocals, not because they're not good but because they aren't the main focus here. Considering the theme of this project, it's only natural that it doesn't sound too human. As if the whispers, screams and black-inspired vocals are just forgotten echoes from an apocalyptic city.
This is an album full of suspense where even silence is used as a tool to make the music more immense yet oddly enough, Atonal Hypermnesia is quite easy on the ears. There's not much abrasiveness to be found but more like a subliminal and constant state of uneasiness. Hopefully, the project's third album will serve as a wake-up call for fans of similar music to recognise P.H.O.B.O.S. as an entity that easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the bigger names. With the first half of 2012 reaching its end, this album is clearly one of the highlights.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
Comments
Comments:
17
Visited by
214 users
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Posts: 702  |
Posts: 702
Can I use the term "apocalyptic" this time?  Fantastic album, if you like this kind of suffocating, crushing atmospheres... it streams partially here...http://www.phobosdrone.org/accueil.html
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 Posts: 18617 |
Posts: 18617 Written by Merchant of Doom on 30.05.2012 at 10:57 I actually preffer the term "post-apocalyptic" as it's how this abum feels. It's too quiet and suspense-filled so it gives more of a scenario of how things are after the event.  But yea, it's a fantastic album nevertheless.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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Posts: 9576
Everyone is praising this thing, I guess I'll try it out. Great review C:
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| !J.O.O.E.!
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Posts: 18617 Written by [user id=4365] on 30.05.2012 at 14:39 It's obviously post-retro(what?)-progressive-samba apocalyptic. Get a grip Joe, Jeez.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| !J.O.O.E.!
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Posts: 18617 Written by [user id=4365] on 30.05.2012 at 14:42 Hmmm, it could be a bizarre apocalyptic satire, dibs on the movie idea. In a more serious note. I got some strong Matrix images while listening to this. Okay, not exactly the movie itself but the whole theme of Machines taking over.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| !J.O.O.E.!
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 Posts: 2800 |
Posts: 2800 Written by X-Ray Rod on 30.05.2012 at 14:44 This album sucks, this review sucks and you suck
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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| Void Eater
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Posts: 18617 Written by InnerSelf on 30.05.2012 at 21:43 Nice try dude but I know all of that is false.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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Posts: 2800 Written by X-Ray Rod on 30.05.2012 at 22:30  especially the you suck part  now to get back on-topic : I liked the track I heard on youtube but I can't seem to find the album anywhere and so I still haven't managed to listen to the whole thing which is a shame since the YT track blew me.
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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| Posts: 2800 |
Posts: 2800
Okay after a couple of plays I couldn't formulate an opinion better than : WOW ! it has a massive crushing vibe, the one I only experienced before while listening to Year of No Light's Ausserwelt and here I'm not comparing sounds or anything, just the overall feeling. I'll probably listen to this a lot throughout the remaining of the year
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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Posts: 505  |
Posts: 505
I hear this while writting essays for my university. The post-apocalyptic and drowned sound terms fits their sound a lot. Anyways great album and band.
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Posts: 1062 Written by InnerSelf on 30.05.2012 at 23:14 Did you mean to say "the YT track blew me away," or did you really mean to imply that the YT track performed oral sex on you? Either way, I've had the same problem. I heard two tracks on YouTube and decided that it was definitely quite good, but it's been hard to find tracks 2 and 4. Even harder is finding a CD copy of the album for a reasonable price. There's absolutely nothing on Google, Amazon, or Ebay for this album, and the website for Phobos sells a special edition for around 30 Euros, which I can't afford.
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Posts: 2800 Written by Jaeryd on 18.03.2013 at 13:13 I'd let this album blow me all day long.
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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 Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989
Just started exploring this band and album and it's a fucking monster. Transonic Mahasamadhi, man... what a closer
---- 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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