Phlebotomized – Clouds of Confusion
Release Date: 26th May 2023
Label: Hammerheart Records
Bandcamp
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Genre: Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Doom, Avant-Garde.
FFO: Amorphis, Edge of Sanity, Septic Flesh, Morbid Angel, The Gathering (old).
Review By: Rick Farley
Dutch progressive death metal legends return with album number four. Formed originally in 1989 as grindcore/death metal, Phlebotomized eventually progressed their sound further with the use of violins and synthesizers. One of the very first to do so in extreme metal resulting in a unique sound that has skyrocketed the band into legendary cult status worldwide. After only releasing two full lengths, the band took a lengthy hiatus in 1997. After a sixteen-year hiatus, they returned in 2013 with a re-release of their classic albums and toured extensively. They went through several line up changes before eventually releasing their lauded comeback album Deformation of Humanity in 2019. Fast-forward to 2021 to the release of EP Pain, Resistance, Suffering showing once again the band is far from being ordinary death metal. Now were here in 2023, Phlebotomized, a band of a storied thirty-year career quite possibly just now reaching their peak with their newest album Clouds of Confusion set for release on Hammerheart Records.
Clouds of Confusion, first and foremost is a classic death metal album with huge amounts of atmosphere, creative intelligence, and discovery. It took me a few listens to have the multi-dimensional material really sink in. It’s not tech death or excessively intricate, it just grows and reveals more of its layers, peeling back with each listen and continuously increases in enjoyability as it unearths its full beautifully brutish self. Progressive and forward-thinking with a firm grasp on the 90s era death metal sound, Clouds of Confusion is the bands most mature album to date, while still being highly memorable. Thinking man’s or woman’s death metal album if you will, without all the overly complex discordancy.
Bury My Heart kicks things off with huge, distorted chords and a melodic piano passage. Synths in the background give the track a doomy feel, but with a chugging faster pace. Tons of heavy guitars with sombre atmospherics, coupled with thick growling vocals that become only a two-minute interlude that leads straight into track two, Alternate Universe. Carrying the same melodies, as the first track, but presented in a much different way is only a minor example of how layers and well-thought-out ideas coalesce, uncovering depth and superb song writing. Crunchy guitars chug while clean and growled vocals pair off in the background with synths adding a cosmic flair. Wicked sounding solos rip through the soundscape with knife-edge ease. The bass is low and pulsing, while the drums are sturdy with weighty punch. Full of ethereal atmosphere but crushingly heavy and catchy. Death will Hunt you Down is a standout track combining brutality, dreamlike ambience and extreme memorability presented in a mischievous shell, clearly showing the talent of the musicians involved. Double bass, huge low end, hammering riffs, deathly growls, and moody synths all combine into a hooky, and beastly structured track.
Phlebotomized for thirty years, clearly have stood on their own, but if you’re in the Amorphis meets Septic flesh with a little Death and Paradise Lost kind of mood, Clouds of Confusion is hands down your record. The production is warm and rich, full of huge sounds and tremendous clarity. This is a well written, polished death metal album that should appeal to a large group of metal heads. Loads of death metal nostalgia, with smart melodic elements that have a ton of moods and major replayability. Give this one a spin and brutalise your brain as well as your neck. 
(4 / 5)
