Phobophilic – Enveloping Absurdity
Release Date: 16th September 2022
Label: Prosthetic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Doom Metal, Old-School Death Metal.
FFO: Mortiferum, Malignant Altar, Mortuous, Tomb Mold, Genocide Pact.
Review By: Eric Wilt
If you are a fan of death metal, it is likely that you are enjoying this second Golden Age of the genre as much as I am. With all of the young talent putting out banger after banger, while a good portion of the old guard continues to do the same, we fans of death metal have been lavished with an embarrassment of riches. Speaking of young talent, North Dakota’s Phobophilic is set to release one of the hardest hitting full lengths of the year on 16 September. Comprised of Aaron Dudgeon on lead and rhythm guitar and vocals, Josh Poer on lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitars, Christian Alm on Bass, and Vincent Tweten on drums, Phobophilic have embraced the pummelling ferocity of old school death metal and combined it with a plethora of meaty riffs so tasty, you’ll not have room for dessert.
Enveloping Absurdity kicks things off with Entaniodromia, a mid-paced slapper the pummels the listener with a mess of riffs before slowing things down to a dirge-like pace that continues through to the end of the song. Those Which Stare Back is another bruising riff-fest in the vein of Malignant Altar and Tomb Mold. Cathedrals of Blood delves back into doom. This is followed up by an instrumental called Individuation which winds its way through a bleak soundscape that perfectly reflects the philosophical absurdism of the lyrics before a piano comes in at the end to add a touch of beauty and hope to the piece. The Illusion of Self is a two stepping rager that will open the pit in a heartbeat. Finally, Enveloping Absurdity ends with the self-titled track that sees Phobophilic blend their love of the riff with some melodic flourishes that leaves me wishing the album was twice as long.
I knew when I heard Phobophilic’s first two releases, a 4 song EP and a split with Sedimentum, that they were going to do big things in the world of death metal. Enveloping Absurdity easily eclipsed my expectations, while leaving me wanting more. So, if you’ve been enjoying the old-school death metal revival that has given us a ton of great new bands like Gatecreeper, Malignant Altar, Mortiferum, Blood Incantation, and all of the rest, Phobophilic has just released your new favorite album.
(4.5 / 5)
