Album Review: Dephosphorus - Planetoktonos
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Let’s take a trip across Continental Europe and find ourselves once more in Greece where Dephosphorus hail from. Sporting a idiom of black/death metal with Grindcore the Athens-based act are here with Planetoktonos, their fifth full length release, their third to be released via Selfmadegod Records. Dephosphorus formed in 2008 and though it took time they started releasing their 2011 EP Axiom as well as some Splits the year after. That same year, 2012, was evidently strong for the band as they’d also unveil their debut album: Night Sky Transform. Every couple of years since the band have managed to churn out another full length, yet Planetoktonos marks the end of the longest gap between records by the band yet. What compels me to check this release out especially is the band’s dubbing of their sound as “Astrogrind”. I’m a simple man, I love space, I love blisteringly heavy music. Due out July 18th, Planetoktonos is set to be one a whirlwind of a ride.
I can confidently attest these were not the vocals I was expecting. Truthfully these aren’t vocals you hear often, likely because of the harsh quality emitted and, just as likely, the immense strain performing such a delivery would have on most people’s vocal cords. The vocals on record are a scraping screech, there’s no semblance of comfort or warmth, all removed from the performance as the vocals fling us right into the nastiest, most agonising depths. It’s a delivery that’s more akin to a Sludge performance, embodying the most unsavoury aspects of metal. But for Dephosphorus it works well with their songwriting given that they aren’t here to hold your hand nor will they make you their friend; their soundscape screams with hostility, you are very much not welcome to their space and they’re far from bashful about letting you know. However, while you’re here, they’re going to make you earn your stay and if you survive long enough you’ve earned your right to leave. The vocals additionally aren’t thrust to the forefront of the stage either, the instrumentation overlays them just enough that the record springs forth with this carnal maelstrom though you can endure the chaos because the songwriting doesn’t leave you blind.
Dephosphorus mesh together various forms of extreme metal together; black metal, death metal, grindcore, there’s no straight path through their songwriting as the band refuse to compromise, refuse to adhere towards a singular strain of metal. Even looking back on particular tracks I enjoyed the most I couldn’t tell you outright which way the band chose to lean the most. As a result, Dephosphorus escape the pull of being thrown in with everyone else; you might find yourself, as I did, replaying tracks just to get a second idea of what you just heard because it really is removed from a lot of extreme metal you’ll discover this year. The guitar work is really interesting as whilst you observe their tempo they never try and reach breakneck speeds therefore you’re able to follow wherever it turns. But the riffs aren’t conventional as the band opt this crunching, blocky sound where licks clearly resemble shape behind their playing; the riff will employ these leading sequences but the tempo has slowed right down, thus creating a more impactful performance. It’s a particularly technical kind of songwriting, one where you’ll happily replay tracks, discerning out of curiosity just what Dephosphorus are looking to pull off.
Similar can be said for the drumming that occurs here for this is where the band’s aforementioned “Astrogrind” dubbing comes into play. There are instances where you’ll be listening to the drums playing along and suddenly they’ll escalate into heavy blast beats, though the mix has rendered them with a deft touch which ensures your senses aren’t at risk of being overwhelmed even throughout the record’s most devastating moments. The drumming itself is great as you’ll be hard pressed to find any two similar patterns, even throughout the same track. Listening attentively you’ll notice the drums can change up in a heartbeat and what you’re currently listening to can change at a given moment. Their drummer, John Votsis, is prolific across numerous bands for a reason and he proves his quality tenfold herein as he’s able to intersperse blast beats across conventional drumming with ease, especially since the rise and fall in intensity is cooperated alongside the guitars and vocals; there’s a true syngery permeating Dephosphorus’ performance. Though the band break out into full-blown acceleration, its not for lengthy passages thus blessing us that leeway to breathe once again during their calmer songwriting (or what passes as calm here).
It would have been very easy for Dephosphorus to emphasise the spacey quality this record is vying for. They could have thrown in multiple audio samples of space expeditions from old films or slapped us in the face with obvious astronomical themes, but aside from a few atmospheric instances the band give nothing else away leaning towards their “Astrogrind” other than track titles. In that way they’re to be commended for they’ve truly chosen to let the music do the talking and, frankly, looking back, this isn’t the kind of record where atmospheric elements play the crucial role. On such a record audiences will want to hear a bloodying, serrated edge slicing into them and the band provide that and then some. The record has nine tracks but half of them are around two minutes long so the band purposefully did not give themselves the excuse to develop out their songwriting. Going by their vibe too, they aren’t looking to reach out into far-flung forays either; they’re here to get in then get out and hopefully warrant you enough reason to come back. There have been faster grindcore albums but the speed this record plays with, especially during the record’s midway point is staggering. It flys by.
In conclusion, Planetoktonos is this peculiar hybrid of extreme metal that manages to stick the landing while ensuring it doesn’t fall plainly into any one of the styles that has gone into its development. Its been a moment since I listened to such an original piece of grindcore; its got the attitude and the tempo and the drive behind it yet its not trying to throw itself down your throat. The more intense periods shine the brighter explicitly because the pacing isn’t necessarily gearing towards a full on blitzkrieg all the time. You’ll be able to thoroughly take in everything the band give you but their crunching riffs, with that hard-boiled texture, asserts the record as something that isn’t to be approached lightly. Again I appreciate the minimalist approach they took to atmospheric implementation; other than track titles to reinforce the spacey artwork Planetoktonos presents, there is only a slither of space-themed atmosphere sprinkled herein. The band prefer to play grindcore based around space rather than push a spacey album onto us. The record ultimately feels designed to repel us, this is no tranquil place for us to gather, yet the gristle, the sandpaper gliding hard against the band’s sound, only garners us closer to Dephosphorus. One of the more curious releases in a while.
