Phazm - Cornerstone Of The Macabre
Phazm is a French death metal band, which has already showed by hand of their previous releases, that they give their own twist unto this subgenre. Cornerstone Of The Macabre is their third release after two experimental death metal releases .
As mentioned, Phazm isn’t your run of the mill death metal band. Gladly not, because yours truly isn’t that charmed of standard, blastbeat filled death metal. I can digest some oldschool, grooving death metal once a while, but all the new extreme death metal bands aren’t my cup of tea. Phazm plays a style of death ‘n roll. Their music has that rough and dirty atmosphere of garagerock combined with death metal. But Phazm doesn’t stop there. They also corporate some sludge, southern rock and country. Yeah, that’s right, country!
This combination gives the band an innovative touch, which is something that isn’t that common nowadays. It sets Phazm aside in the death metal community. Some will hate them for it and some will love them for it. For example ‘Welcome To My Funeral’ has an almost funeral doom kind of atmosphere, but they mix it up with a harmonica solo! It sounds ridiculous but it somehow works.
Variation is key on this album. Variation is something that I find important, but Phazm overdoes it a bit. This sometimes makes their album exhausting to listen to. Also not every song is as interesting as the other. I liked for example ‘Mucho Mojo’ very much (which is also one of the songs with the least amount of death metal influences in it), but songs like ‘Damnation’ are a bit faceless and the instrumental ‘Strange Song’ is just plain bad. Also their cover of the Metallica song ‘Damage Inc.´ sounds nice, but they stay very true to the original. Of course that’s okay, because it’s an excellent song, but if you make this kind of music I expect a bit more.
Conclusion: Cornerstone Of The Macabre is an album that some might hate and others might like. I am a bit in between and therefore a fitting score.
Tracklisting
1. Love Me Rotten (Love Me True)
2. The Worm On The Hook
3. Damnation
4. Strange Song
5. Welcome To My Funeral
6. The Old Smell Of The Meat
7. Mucho Mojo
8. The End
9. Necrophiliac
10. Damage Inc.
11. Adrift
2. The Worm On The Hook
3. Damnation
4. Strange Song
5. Welcome To My Funeral
6. The Old Smell Of The Meat
7. Mucho Mojo
8. The End
9. Necrophiliac
10. Damage Inc.
11. Adrift
Line up
Pierrick Valence – Vocals, Guitars
Victorien Vilchez – Guitars
Mahx – Bass
Gorgor - Drums
Victorien Vilchez – Guitars
Mahx – Bass
Gorgor - Drums