At the end of 2006 three friends started to jam a bit with each other. A month later vocalist Gerwald Radsma joined them and Cellphyll was officially formed. They claim to play a mixture of stoner, metal and grunge (aka “sensual stoner rock”) and are influenced by bands such as Kyuss, Mastodon, Tool and Soundgarden. Quite the accomplishment to reach out to the level of those bands, but Cellphyll just made a nice step forward in doing so. Here’s their first effort, Comfort Zone.

 

From the very first tones of the suitably yet unoriginally named song ‘Intro’, I get the feeling I’m listening to a band that is mainly influenced by Tool. Fortunately however, Cellphyll adds a raw edge to it with their grunge and metallic influences. The songs are well-structured and have quite a nice production considering the DIY-status of the band. I’d say this is a band with potential and if they sound live as they do on this disc, I can imagine people will certainly dig this stuff.

 

Although I’m having second thoughts about the vocal department every now and then, I do feel like Radsma fits the band. It’s just that he doesn’t always seem to reach his higher screams. They sound somewhat forced – and almost heavy metal-like. But then again, Cellphyll is only a starting band, so no worries yet mates.

 

So, what’s more? Well, nice cover artwork, an attractive logo and a minor mistake in spelling out one of the song titles (Yelow Flag instead of ‘Yellow Flag’). Despite the minor mistake and the improvement the vocal department will need in the future, Comfort Zone is a very decent debut. Keep up the good work Cellphyll!