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░ ██ ██ Artist: Phazm ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Scornful of Icons █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-03-02 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Osmose Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Outside of Entombed, PhazmÆs 2008 album █
█ Cornerstone of the Macabre is one of my personal █
█ favorite death ænÆ roll albums. That album had an █
█ awesome mix of death metal hooks and sleazy blues █
█ riffs and left a big impression on me. So it was █
█ with some excitement that I received the bandÆs █
█ new album, and while Scornful of Icons is not what █
█ I expected, it was an immensely enjoyable album in █
█ its own right. █
█ █
█ Scornful of Icons is something of an overhaul in █
█ sound for this French band. The death ænÆ roll █
█ aspect, which they did so well, is largely toned █
█ down. ItÆs not entirely absent; opener █
█ ôGinnungagapö has one of the bandÆs patented █
█ grooves and ôHowling for Youö captures the bandÆs █
█ offbeat romantic humor from previous songs like █
█ ôLove Me Rotten, Love Me True.ö So while there are █
█ familiar moments, Scornful of Icons is, on the █
█ whole, a more straightforward death metal album █
█ and less so death ænÆ roll. Lyrically, the band █
█ has a new focus on religion, as demonstrated by █
█ ôGinnungagap,ö ôThe Godless Pope,ö and the title █
█ track. █
█ █
█ But a change in sound and lyrical focus is not █
█ necessarily bad and the good news is that Phazm do █
█ the more conventional style on Scornful of Icons █
█ extremely well. This is mostly due to the fact █
█ that Scornful of Icons, despite the change is █
█ sound, contains plenty of good songs. The choruses █
█ of ôGinnungagap,ö and ôThe Soothsayer,ö the █
█ martial percussion of ôConquerors Marchö and the █
█ sweeping, majestic title track are all stand outs. █
█ █
█ Accompanying the tight songwriting, Pierrick █
█ ôPierhryckö ValenceÆs vocals are one of the best █
█ things about Scornful of Icons. Valence █
█ (ex-Agressor, ex-Scarve) has a hoarse growl that █
█ really blurs the line between black and death █
█ metal. More than that though, he uses a technique █
█ similar to Attila CsiharÆs throat singing. ItÆs █
█ unsettling, and his habit of using them in █
█ choruses gives the music a more serious, intense █
█ feel than the lighter, tongue-in-cheek tone the █
█ band has used in the past. █
█ █
█ Scornful of Icons marks a change in both sound and █
█ outlook for Phazm, but the new style works really █
█ well. While this album lacks some of the elements █
█ that made Phazm such a fun listen in the past, its █
█ brutality and excellent songwriting are still very █
█ welcome. Scornful of Icons is highly recommended █
█ for death metal fans and hopefully we donÆt have █
█ to wait another eight years for its follow-up. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Ginnungagap 5:27 ░
░ 2. Ubiquitous Almighty 3:52 ░
░ 3. The Soothsayer 4:19 ░
░ 4. The Godless Pope 3:53 ░
░ 5. Howling for You 3:40 ░
░ 6. Conquerors March 5:38 ░
░ 7. Scornful of Icons 6:27 ░
░ 8. Never to Return 4:02 ░
░ 37:18 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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