ALBUM PREMIERE & REVIEW: Phantom Winter, "Into Dark Science"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 02/03/2018

Label: Golden Antenna Records

From the opening chords of "The Initiation Of Darkness," Phantom Winter create an experience that grinds into you relentlessly and the results are truly phenomenal.  You'll be thankful for this experience, harrowing though it may be.

"Into Dark Science"CD//DD//LP track listing

1. The Initiation Of Darkness

2. Ripping Halos From Angels

3. Frostcoven

4. The Craft And The Power Of Black Magic Wielding

5. Into Dark Science

6. Godspeed! Voyager

The Review:

Following 2016's well-received "Sundown Pleasures," German sludge/doom crew Phantom Winterrejoin the living in 2018 on its latest. Its six-song "Into Dark Science" are hereby your reminder that doom and sludge, like cold brew coffee, are best served pure and without flourish.

The subtle beauty of Phantom Winter's music has always been its truth in vision. It stands out because it isn't preening with the idea of being something more exceptional that a doom group. They do not need to: the performance is so unique and powerful that its presence is all that is necessary. Such focus on craft is freeing. What's more the sheer quality of the musicianship virtually guarantees that the band does not require a hyphenate sort of marketing. Instead, Phantom Winter, from the opening chords of "The Initiation Of Darkness," creates an experience.

"Into Dark Science" is effective because of its claustrophobic soundscapes and baleful vocals. Storytelling is very much part of this mood; Phantom Winter shares its lyrics with fans, and its misanthropic vignettes are certain to sit with you for awhile. "No god can help you here, no sun will ever shine," goes "Frostcoven." "We are usurpers of the night… the ghosts who haunt us scream in pain." " The Initiation Of Darkness " crashes against your head in fits and starts, with words inspired by poet Sylvia Plath and activist Adrienne Rich. "Ripping Halos From Angels" throbs with Full of Hell-style abandon. "The Craft And The Power Of Black Magic Wielding" sets a mood and grinds it into you relentlessly. In all, these are seem disparate, but share common bonds, sonically and lyrically. The results are truly phenomenal.

As you come to the album's conclusion, Phantom Winter present more of that harsh edge of doom it presented earlier. Broken-glass vocals and a tumultuous guitar sequence will leave you spellbound. You'll be thankful for this experience, harrowing though it may be.

"Into Dark Science" is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Echo of Souls" by Telepathy

If I have said it before, then I’ll say it again, and once I’ve said it again, then I’ll say it some more, Colchester-based instrumental sludge/post-metal band Telepathy, fucking rule and if you don’t know this band by now, then wtf you dumb dumb.  Having risen through the ranks of the UK underground, this quartet are musical architects, composing music of ambition , depth and distinction,  not so much songs, rather multifaceted  concertos, at times beautifully mellow and then hideously brutal, executed with remarkable intelligence and flair.  Like a rich tapestry Telepathy weave together the  strands of  their musical endeavours into something truly magical.

With each release their raw, voracious and vicious sound has gained more and more clarity, their ideas more expansive and forward thinking. Now, following the release of their sensational new album “Tempest”which will surely propel them to greater, more luxurious stratospheres, the band are set to hit the road for their biggest tour yet, taking them across Europe from 09.09 – 27.09,   subscribing to their own rules, the band are in a unique position of being embraced by fans of post-metal, hardcore, sludge and progressive music alike, which is testament to the bands imaginative, off-kilter and ambitious musical expressionism.

So with the tour set to kick off in a few short say, today, we are excited to reveal their brand new video for the track “Echo of Souls” which was directed by Maciej Bakowski and photographed by Sebastian Ziabka.  Check it out below.  “Tempest” is still available to buy here

TELEPATHY 'TEMPEST' EU TOUR 2017

09.09 MUNSTER, Sputnikcafe (DE)

10.09 FREIBURG, White Rabbit Club (DE) 

12.09 VIENNA, Viper Room Vienna (AT)

13.09 DRESDEN, Studentenclub Bärenzwinger (DE)

14.09 WÜRZBURG, Immerhin Würzburg (DE)

15.09 BERLIN, Berlin Swamp Fest 2017 (DE)

16.09 BRAUNSCHWEIG, Nexus (DE)

17.09 MARBURG, Szenario (DE)

19.09 KÖLN, AZ Koln (DE)

20.09 HAMBURG, Hafenklang (DE)

21.09 SIEGEN, Vortex Surfer Musikclub (DE)

22.09 OLTEN, Coq d'Or (CH)

23.09 WINTERTHUR, Gaswerk (CH)

25.09 ANTWERP, Antwerp Music City (BE)

27.09 BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, CAFE HIJACK (FR)

October: 

8.10 BRIGHTON, Mammothfest w/ Amenra, 40 Watt Sun, OHHMS, Vodunetc

20.10 BRUSSELS, Magasin 4 (BE)

21.10 LEEUWARDEN, Into the Void 2017 Festival (NL) 

22.10 UTRECHT, Black Earth Festival @ dB's (NL)

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Telepathy - "Tempest"



By: Phil Weller

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/03/2017

Label: Golden Antenna

 

A monsoon of riffs, from slow, knuckle-dragging doom moments to the calculated chaos of Mastodon, spinning on a huge axis with their long, winding loops, this album it hits you like a drug, freewheeling into your body.

“Tempest” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). First Light

2). Smoke from Distant Fires

3. Celebration of Decay

4). Echo of Souls

5). Apparition

6). Hiraeth

7). Water Divides the Tide

8). Metanoia

The Review:

Telepathy’s sound has always been monstrous. With each release their raw, voracious and vicious sound has gained more and more clarity, their ideas more expansive and forward thinking. Now, with Jaime Gomez Arellano at the helm, they are a different beast entirely. The producer, who can boast Ghost, Opethand Paradise Lost as notches on his bedpost, is exactly what the band need at this point in time, and it will surely propel them to greater, more luxurious stratospheres.

‘Smoke From Distant Fires’ instantly bombards you with craggy, precipitous guitar work, cascading through the crystal clear mix with a menacing intent. But if those opening explosions come across like ‘Times of Grace’ era Neurosis, then they flaunt their lighter, airier and more celestial side in later passages. This band has always prided itself on their intelligently thought out and diligently executed musical contrasts. So often do their dark, miserable skylines develop overhead only for blinding rays of light to pierce through like faint hope and brighten the landscapes. Throughout the track the contrasts are in constant conflict, a tug of war for aural dominance throwing the song this way then that, and it makes the result nothing short of evocative and spellbinding.

‘Celebration of Decay’ marries dislocated, barbaric rhythms – something akin to post-metal having a seizure, but with perfect timing – huge, mountainous chords that lumber like giants and hypnotic diminuendos that drag you by the feet and pull you deeper into reverie. It is in these quiet, reflective moments that voice recordings of astronauts looking back down on Mother Earth can be heard. It’s apt for a band which has never quite sounded like they were of this planet. The song’s title too, in today’s climate, has an added poignancy to it.

‘Apparition’ flirts with black metal, with warmongering blast beats and the rapidly picked guitars reverberating like they were recorded in a vast, echoic cathedral. The sound is so huge it towers over you, belittles you. ‘Water Divides The Tide’ meanwhile, is more forthright. A monsoon of riffs, from slow, knuckle-dragging doom moments to the calculated chaos of Mastodon, spinning on a huge axis with their long, winding loops, it hits you like a drug, freewheeling into your body.

It is an album, for all intents and purposes, better experienced than anything. Be that in the flesh or sat in the dark with their immersive compositions blaring through your headphones, painting vibrant images in your imagination as they do, for the best effect I advise you stop reading this review. Just listen.

“Tempest” is available to preorder/buy here



Band info: bandcamp || facebook



ALBUM REVIEW: FVNERALS - "Wounds"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 14/10/2016
Label: Golden Antenna Records |
The Native Sound

“Wounds” is a captivating set of songs that are simultaneously heavy and delicate. FVNERALS unique brand of doom-filtered slowcore creates a powerful feeling that stays with the listener long after the final note has rung out.

“Wounds” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.Void (02:23)
2.Wounds (06:00)
3.Shiver (05:23)
4.Teeth (05:53)
5.Crown (07:21)
6.Antlers (04:02)
7.Where (08:38)

The Review:

This is the perfect time of year for the music of FVNERALS. The bleak and desolate atmosphere of new LP “Wounds” completely captures the feel of days when you leave and arrive home in cold darkness.

The Glasgow trio’s distinct sound does not fit the standard mould of metal but it hits harder than the heaviest of doom bands. An intoxicating blend of Earth’s dustbowl minimalism, the spiky dissonance of Slint and the hushed intimacy of Grouper, FVNERALSpower comes from hypnotic simplicity and restraint. Sparse guitar lines, deep drones and ominous drums make an ideal backdrop for Tiffany’s haunting vocals, a key element to the weighty emotional punch of this album. The climax of the title track is all the more affecting when wordless howls wash over the crushing distortion that breaks the rising tension of the quiet build-up. The mid-section of “Shiver” provides one of the albums hardest hitting moments when the track falls away to just organ and hushed vocals.

Although the moments when the band cut loose on the volume front are few, when it happens they make it count. The snail-paced riff that brings nine minute finale “Where” to a close is a stark contrast to the surrounding taut menace, its impact amplified via glorious repetition.

“Wounds” is a captivating set of songs that are simultaneously heavy and delicate. FVNERALS unique brand of doom-filtered slowcore creates a powerful feeling that stays with the listener long after the final note has rung out. 

“Wounds” is available in the USon vinyl (here) and in Europe on CD//LP (here)

Band info: facebook || bandcamp