Stockholmstrion PHIDION har släppt en tre-spårig singel betitlad "Mother Pestilence" som doftar ruttnande döds med thrashig intensitet. Det låter verkligen old school, som AUTOPSY, MORBID ANGEL och REPULSION lät på åttiotalet. Oliver Palmquist gläfser likt en rabiat och hans sångstil är besmutsad på samma vis som Chris Reiferts.
Titelspåret bjuder på klassiskt klämtande kyrkklockor och Christos Chatzikonstandinos (ex-RUINS OF TIME) riffattacker tävlar mot Peter Petterssons blastbeats i vem som kan orsaka elakast oljud. Smått lustigt betitlade tredjespåret "Derek's Don't Run" är ångloksdöds av finaste kaliber.
(7)
This Single is made of 3 tracks and clocks only 8 minutes, but it's enough to understand what these guys are all about. Phidion were formed as a band in 2003 but have been quite lazy during the first decade of activity in what concerns discographic activity. Starting 2012 they started recording more and this Single is an advance to their first album to be released sometime soon hopefully. A solid Death Metal with Thrash influences, traditional and sinister, complete with excellent creepy bass lines, doomy bells to enhance the atmosphere, ferocious yet comprehensive and easy to follow vocals, powerful guitar riffs, strong rhythm section and a crystal clear production. I'd say they nailed it with this Split, let's hope the album will feature more of these goodies. Oh, I also have to mention the awesome, tragic and expressive cover art of this Single, I hope they'll use the same artist for the album, too.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
It has been a while since we last heard from Sweden's Phidion. Fortunately, this death/thrash group has returned in 2016 with a 3-track single entitled "Mother Pestilence". This short release clocks in at under 9 minutes, and offers a satisfying take on thrash-infused death metal. The thrash leanings come largely from the sharp guitar tone, which is even more piercing when the band avoids chunkier riffs. This is primarily a death metal release, however, and so tremolo picking, blast beats, and vicious growls are in no short supply. Phidion's vocalist can hit lower notes, but often leans towards a raspier high-pitched snarl. When he does go for a more guttural approach, the band helps him out by using more crushing riffs, some of which feature pinch harmonics.
The best song on this release is not the single itself, but "Derek's Don't Run". The ending of this track features a wicked thrashy riff filled with downpicking, and is certainly the most memorable moment of the release. This track tends to get a bit more brooding and atmospheric after the halfway point, and is a definite highlight. Though this release is good, Phidion has no distinctive edge. They're beyond competent at what they do, but not all that unique from the legions of Swedish death metal bands out there. If you've explored the depths of Entombed, Unleashed, and Dismember worshippers, Phidion is a logical step forward, as this release features stellar production, excellent musicianship, and favourable songwriting, but it is by no means a revolutionary single. There isn't too much else that can be said about a release this short, but it is a very complete package, so fans of death metal would be wise to check it out!
Be sure to check out and like Phidion on Facebook!
Highlight:
"Derek's Don't Run"
Final Rating
3.6/5 or 72%.
Written by Scott
Source: Skull Fracturing Metal
Koen B.: Phidion's previous release that was reviewed in Lords Of Metal was 2012's "Flesh Of The Forsaken". In the meantime the Swedish band also released a digital and (limited to a quantity of fifteen only) cassette tape release entitled "Ten Years Of Eternal Insomnia : Live At Rocks" (2014). Now the band releases "Mother Pestilence", a three track demo, that hopefully land Phidion a record deal, so a full-length can be released very soon. "Mother Pestilence" contains three tracks which are the title track, "Ruins Of Serenity" and "Derek’s Don't Run". This demo shows the world Phidion is an attractive bunch of motherfuckers! It's almost humiliating that record companies haven't shown interest in this great blackened death / thrash act. Everything suits the bill perfectly here. Fans of Lord Belial and musically related artists should get hold of this convincing demo. For merchandise, visit Phidion's Bandcamp page.
Score: 82 / 100
Phidion’s debut EP, Flesh of the Forsaken, was a meaty sampler of death metal that barely contained enough thrash to warrant a forward slash in its genre description. It was somewhat rough around the edges, flattened in tone due to its vaguely analog-esque production quality, which lent an atmosphere of authenticity, and riffs that were mostly mid-paced and therefore “deliberate” (i.e. safe) in their progression. Although it was indeed sufficiently integrated to be period death metal it lacked enough impact to be truly memorable and, hypothetically, in the forefront of modern day nostalgia.
Perhaps sensing that, and perhaps due to the changing tides of “modern” death metal (as in the last three years), Phidion has shifted gears entirely, and the band’s latest single, Mother Pestilence, to the uninformed ear, could be from a different band. It is speedy and aggressive, reminiscent of Krisiun at times but with a continued emphasis on variety, a definitive push to the death/thrash amalgam that The Crown has perfected, and one can even extrapolate Exumer (specifically, “Brand of Evil” from the short-lived “Ruins of Serenity”) from the mix if so inclined. But make no mistake, this is 90% death metal, an expected result of such a shift and refocusing of effort to something significantly more weighty, containing more impact behind each meaningful riff, which gives Phidion much-needed life and energy.
Not a moment is wasted here, especially on the strangely named, “Derek’s Don’t Run,” which almost has too many riffs, if that could even be a valid concern. It seems as though Phidion has pressed the fast forward button and let loose completely their collective creative capacity to a form that truly fits what they want to do, which is a refreshing and deadly combination that breathes new life into their endeavor.
Score: 7.5 / 10
The next selection is a lyric video for "Mother Pestilence", which is the title track to a three-song demo released in July by the Swedish band Phidion. As I mentioned above, I've had this song on a list of items for future Seen and Heard posts for weeks. Now seemed like a good time to finally throw it your way.
The opening riff (which returns again later) is catchy-as-hell, and so are the bursts of skull-hammering inflicted by the band's drummer. And after that catchy opening motif, the song continues to slug with potent grooves but it also seethes and swarms with highly malicious intent. The growling, shrieking vocals are also pleasingly vicious and voracious, near-bursting with savage passion.
There's a harder edge to this song than the one by Forest of Fog, but it will still get your head (and the rest of your body) moving. Good stuff. So is the rest of this demo.
Source: No Clean Singing
Toutes les bons côtés du thrash et du death dans un album ? Phidion l’a fait. Que de dynamisme dans l’EP de la formation suédoise. On se laisse divinement porté par la débauche d’énergie constante de Mother Pestilence. Voici un excellent album que vous ne manquerez d’écouter en boucle.
Stockholmsbandet Phidion har sedan starten 2003 gjort samma sak som många andra dödsmetallband. Uppträtt, spelat in, filat på musicerandet och passionerat manglat arsle. Kvartetten med Christos Chatzikonstandinos (gitarr) som ende konstanta medlem har fått lov att verka ouppmärksammat, långt bort från undergroundsorlet. Med trespårssingeln "Mother pestilence" finns det hopp om att knappa in på avståndet till de mer etablerade etablerade aktörerna.
"Mother pestilence" prickar in tiden runt millenniumskiftet då Stockholmscenen hade en intressant period som inte slog kommersiellt och idag till stora delar har fallit i glömska. Det kanske bästa exemplet Kaamos lade av innan de fått testa vingarna på riktigt med sin pigga hybrid av Stockholmsdöds och Floridadito. Ungefär där kan vi placera Phidion, med skillnaden att produktionsåret är 2016. "Mother pestilence" återupplivar det gamla cd-demoformatet; tre låtar som skall presentera bandets potential. Fans får gärna strömma till, men allra helst skall ett påkritat kontrakt med skivbolag ros i land.
Phidion är en pluton med pondus och jävlar anamma – det står utom tvivel att killarna har höga mål med sitt musicerande och förmodligen lika höga krav på de egna prestationerna. Titellåten väger tyngst, både gällande sound och när det kommer till undertecknads slutgiltiga omdöme. Christos Chatzikonstandinos är en gitarrist av rätta virket, som visar prov på gott samspel med trumslagaren Peter Pettersson. Oliver Palmqvist berikar inspelningarna med en väsande stämma som påminner en del om Necrophobics forne sångare Tobias Sidegård och det ännu vassare exemplet Jeff Walker (Carcass).
Phidion måste dock göra sig av med fritidsgårdsoket som hänger likt hela upplagan av egenproducerade cd-demos över deras axlar. Kaxigare framtoning, proffsigare bandbilder och materialet pressat i form av sjutumsvinylutgåva döljer den påvra ljudbilden bättre, hur ytligt det än må låta.
(3) - Larsa Carlsson
Source: Slavestate
