Thursday 26 May 2016

Phantom Glue - 776 (Album Review)

J

Release date: May 13th 2016. Label: Negative Fun Records. Format: CD/DD

776 – Tracklisting

1.Ion Cloud 03:24
2.Hundred Hand 03:56
3.Somatic 05:13
4.A Worker-less Mill 05:14
5.Suttungr 07:14
6.Hocheim's War 04:55
7.Gog Is Dead 06:03

Band Members:

Matt Oates - Vocals/Guitar
Mike Gowell - Guitar
Nicholas Wolf - Bass/Vocals
Dana Filloon - Drums

All drums on 776 by Kyle Rasmussen

Review:

Phantom Glue’s new album – 776 – is a very progressive and psychedelic affair with High On Fire inspired riffs though the band adds a more nightmarish vibe to their music. The album is very dark and surreal in places as they take you on a warped and deranged psychedelic odyssey.

Opening track – Ion Cloud – is very schizophrenic in tone and nature. Parts Sludge, Noise, Stoner and Doom with the band creating a more progressive sound compared to their previous albums. The vocals have a menacing approach that Matt Pike fans will surely admire. The guitars have quite a jagged feel to them with as the band play a mixture of thrashy fast-paced riffs before slowing things right down to allow the more progressive sludge/doom riffs to reign supreme. It’s a winning combination and it’s a familiar theme running through out the rest of the album.

Second track – Hundred Hand – is more of the same bombastic style of noise driven sludge/stoner metal with a subtle touch of psychedelic rock. The atmosphere remains fairly bleak for the majority of the song as the heavy progressive riffs aided along with frantic drumming offer one of the most complex songs on the album.

Third track – Somatic – is my fave song on the album as it’s a dangerous breed of rock and roll where the tone is loud and highly volatile. Phantom Glue adds layers of distorted noise that fans of early-era High On Fire and Mastodon will surely enjoy. Though this is still Phantom Glue’s show and they are the demented and wicked puppeteers of this psychedelic madhouse they call 776. Everything has a purpose on this song as the riffs and vocals are matched against superb dark lyrical content.

Fourth track - A Worker-less Mill – sees the band leave their psychedelic trippy moments behind and offer a more direct Sludge/Noise/Stoner Metal song. It has moments of intense angry thrash riffs as Phantom Glue excel in creating a more experimental sound. The drumming is perhaps what holds your attention the most as the guitars can be very frantic to listen to at times.

The final three songs are where the album becomes more of a psychedelic wonderland of disturbing noises and dark atmospheric vibes. The band create the albums heaviest and most far-out moments that will leave you slightly freaked out at times especially on Suttungr and Hocheims War.

Gog Is Dead – is the final track where Phantom Glue create one final epic attack on the senses with their style of heavy far out moments of Sludge/Stoner Metal. A fitting way to end this crazy as hell album.

Phantom Glue has delivered the goods with this album as it’s another powerful and hard-hitting record from this hugely talented band. If you miss the heavier earlier days from High On Fire and Mastodon then 776 is the answer to your prayers. Embrace the madness.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp