Reviews: SAT310
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On the 4th day of April the German black metal band Phreneticum will release their debut album Der Stille Zerfall through the collaboration of Satanath Records and Onism Productions, but you won’t have to wait until then to be consumed by it, because we’re presenting a full stream of all the madness today.
From the band’s inception in 2015 the line-up has varied, but this new full-length is the work of only two performers — vocalist Leichenfresse and multi-instrumentalist Tino Fluch (from Abigorum, Trond, and Wulfgar). As a hint of what they’ve done together, the releasing labels recommend the album for fans of Sarkrista, Imperium Dekadenz, and Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult. But here are a few more hints about what you’ll be experiencing.
Phreneticum open the door to their nightmare world with “Der Turm”, in part a soul-crushing death march and in part a blazing spectacle of feverish terror. At first, deep moaning riffs and the reverberating boom of ominous drums create a cold and pestilential atmosphere, but the riffing becomes more frenzied and incendiary against a backdrop of thundering percussion and goblin screeching. The caustic chords move in giant, enveloping waves, and as the music rises and falls, moods of supernatural grandeur move through the music high overhead as well.
And from there, the songs draw the listener deeper and deeper into madness. Anchored by abyssal bass contortions and spine-shaking drumwork which resonates as if recorded in deep caverns, the songs move through ghastly subterranean realms that oppress the senses and freeze the blood, but also wildly rocket into the heavens, as sweeping synths joining the firebrand riffing to create overpowering cascades of near-celestial magnificence.
And as the music moves and morphs, rushes and relents, the songs create moods of paralyzing fear, crushing hopelessness, and the kind of awe that might be experienced in the presence of rising diabolical forces reveling in their power. The music also drifts into hallucinatory miasmas of sound, creating chilling and choking spells, and explodes in paroxysms of blasting, obliterating violence. The chaos in the music reaches breathtaking zeniths (the strangled, shrieking vocals are almost relentlessly insane), and may just as suddenly segue into shimmering unearthly realms or crawl through sodden troughs of disease and decay, accompanied by solemn chants.
All these contrasts in the music (and more) help keep the listener rooted in place, overpowered by ravaging storms in one minute and submerged in frigid depths or mind-mutilating dreams at the next. And for those who relish a good chance to bang heads, you’ll find times to do that too — perhaps most especially in the immense (and highly infectious, as well as highly unnerving) closing track “Das Grab”, which provides a powerful summing up of Phreneticum‘s capabilities while also introducing new, quasi-industrial elements that give the music even more primal, body-moving power. Listen to that and then try to get it out of your head , even after it moves into a haunting ambient outro — we bet you won’t succeed.
Der Stille Zerfall includes cover art by the wonderful Luciana Nedelea and layout by Aleksey Korolyov.
Phreneticum are a band from Germany that plays a very heavy and aggressive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2021 album "Der Stille Zerfall" which will be released on April 4th as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Onism Productions.
A very dark yet heavy sound starts off the album while the riffs also add in a decent amount of dark sounding melodies. When the music speeds up a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats can be heard which also gives the recording more of a raw feeling and the vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams.
Throughout the recording you can also hear a decent mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while a great portion of the tracks are also very long and epic in length. The songs also add in a decent mixture of both old school and modern influences along with all of the musical instruments also having a very powerful sound to them.
A later song also adds in a brief use of field recordings and distorted soundscapes before returning back to a heavier direction, as the album progresses a brief use of spoken word parts can also be heard as well as some stringed instruments and synths also being utilized briefly briefly towards the end. The production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics are written in German and cover dark themes.
In my opinion Phreneticum are a very great sounding heavy and aggressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording.
http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2021/04/phreneticumder-stille-zerfallsatanath.html
German band Phreneticum is out with the album "Der Stille Zerfall", and extreme metal is the genre of choice on this production. Monumental walls of guitar riffs rather dominate this production in uptempo and intense sequences with fluctuating subtle melody patterns on top of the wall of guitar riffs is an ongoing feature. Slower paced passages as well as more sparse an open arrangements pop up on regular occasions too, while the vocals on top are dominated by distorted shrieks and shouts. A pummeling and rather relentless album experience, even if most of the compositions do have a dynamic structure. Those with a taste for black metal of the more intense and dark variety should find a lot to enjoy on this album.
https://www.facebook.com/wildernessviking/posts/4072847582813577
Había conseguido escapar de la fortaleza a duras penas. Estaba herido, en el costado derecho y en una pierna. Aun así, tan solo podía pensar en una cosa: Sobrevivir. No sabía cuánto tiempo llevaba corriendo, pero tenía que parar. Le ardían los pulmones tanto que le era imposible continuar. Se apoyó en un árbol, adoptando una posición demasiado encorvada. Cuando se irguió, tenía delante a un numeroso grupo de ellos. ¿Cómo habían sido tan silenciosos y rápidos? Ahora, o lo dejarían sin una sola gota de sangre o sería elegido para ser un chupa sangre. En cualquier caso, ya no había salvación….
Bienvenidos al universo de Phreneticum.
El 4 de abril de 2021 apareció en el mercado «Der stille Zerfall», el primer L.P de los Black metaleros Phreneticum. El disco vio la luz gracias a Satanath Records y Onism Productions.
Su formación es la siguiente: Leichenfresse (voz), Tino Fluch (todos los instrumentos).
Podría dejar constancia una vez más de los típicos adjetivos que se le podrían poner a un proyecto musical de esta índole. Sin embargo, voy a centrarme tan solo en las sensaciones que me han dejado a nivel personal. Una vez acabéis de leer la reseña, sacad vuestras propias conclusiones y decidid si os interesa catar o no el disco que hoy os comento. Tengo que reconocer que la forma de componer de los alemanes no me ha llamado demasiado la atención. No es que en ningún instante se descubra mediocridad, todo lo contrario, sino que simplemente no tienen nada de especial. Para más inri, la final y pseudo instrumental ‘Das Grab‘ peca de ser terriblemente estática y extensa en cuanto a minutaje se refiere, logrando sacarme por completo del redondo. Os aseguro que con un punto y final más dinámico otro gallo hubiese cantado.
Las seis cuerdas, siempre gélidas y a veces dramáticas consiguen aterrar al más aguerrido de los metalheads. Por supuesto, incluyen dobles armonías y embistes de tremolo picking. No obstante, no abusan ni mucho menos de ambos recursos. Por cierto, se atreven a mostrar una vertiente más atmosférica en ‘Zur Hölle‘
Inhumanos son los shrieks de Leichenfresse. Parece que el mismísimo Satán lo usa para poder expresarse mediante sus cuerdas vocales. Asimismo, posiblemente os sorprenda las anecdóticas clean vocals que aparecen en ‘Krankhaft‘.
La batería no es nada plana, regalándonos los justos y correctos cambios de dirección. Lo mismo se va a medio gas, que se estalla con maléficos «golpes relámpago».
Destacaría la inicial ‘Der Turm‘, porque ejemplifica a la perfección como se las gasta el dúo germano.
Para mí son un conjunto más, que pasan sin pena ni gloria. ¿Para vosotros qué? Solo lo averiguaréis si le dais la oportunidad que merecen.
https://www.brokentombmagazine.com/2021/05/29/critica-phreneticum-der-stille-zerfall-2021/
Sem grandes informações sobre esta banda (tão poucas que nem sequer tenho a certeza de que se trata de um duo ou de uma banda com números de músicos mais tradicionais), “Der Stille Zerfall” é o álbum de estreia que traz não só uma capa que poderia estar bem melhor do que aquilo que está mas um som que consegue capturar o interesse de quem gosta de black metal ainda que não aprecie assim tanto do lado mais primitivo e agreste do mesmo. A produção é boa, forte, mas com o foco no lado mais cru, com o seu melhor atributo o ambiente que resulta da mesma. Já a música propriamente dita, é dona de dinâmicas que fazem com que o alvo possa ir mais além do que os habituais “trves”. Melodias e andamentos mais fora desse reino e um álbum variado. Tudo muito ainda embrionário, de forma a que não se consegue ter a certeza de como será a sua evolução. Dá-se o benefício da dúvida mas veremos os próximos passos.
Hailing from eastern Germany, Phreneticum, a two piece black metal act of cryptic proportions presents us with their first ritualistic offering. Der Stille Zerfall is a heavy lo-fi experience with hazy production and hypnotic riffs that capture the listener in its hellish gaze.
What immediately captured me with this album are the tones and sounds the album produces. With the incredibly hazy guitar tones and booming echoing drums it creates an almost industrial feel to it all. Especially since the drums have an almost electronic quality to them, most likely produced by an e-kit or some sorta triggers, but I could be wrong. Either way, the guitar riffs and passages are very captivating. Heavy, slow at times, but very ferocious, it creates a very dark and oppressive atmosphere. The vocals as well are almost bestial, wicked high pitch screeches all through out the album, its very much blended well into the guitar thanks to the added effects over it. Which to me is one of the shining moments on the album. The vocals are very memorable and stick with you due to how wicked they sound.
What I found interesting about the album as well are the faster blast beat sections that transition very well from the slower doom metal-esque parts that are very reminiscent of the black/doom band Abigorum, which is understandable since one of the members of this band is apart of Phreneticum. They took what they've learned working with Abigorum and added their own vision to it. While the doom is very much there, its not all slow. There are blast beats, powerful double bass drums, and a methodic pace that keeps the rhythm going.
The drumming on this, though, clearly wasn't the focus of the album. There are call backs to a certain riff that the album began with and seem to end with in a alternative way. Changing the tempo of the riff or maybe changing a few notes around but keeping it in the same key. I feel like the drumming is simply there just to provide some sort of bass and weight to the guitar sounds, since with the style of production that they chose kind of leaves the guitars feeling very airy and ethereal but, in the end it works out very well, and creates a great sense of atmosphere that is very gothic as well.
This is a very well made album that I enjoyed a lot. There's a lot to offer I can see this band expanding their sound in the future, makes me wonder what other morbid sounds they wish to produce in the future. Highly recommend this to those who're into slower black metal with clear doom influence.
http://www.runicreviews.com/2021/07/phreneticum-der-stille-zerfall.html
German black metal band Phreneticum has been around since 2015 in various forms, initially having a full lineup before scaling back to the duo that is present on debut album Der Stille Zerfall. But even with just two people, the amount of noise and jagged edges emanating from this material leaves an impression, as Phreneticum explores both fast paced, unrelenting blasting and more methodical instrumentation where the sound is still drenched in madness and decay. Although this first outing has a few missteps, the sheer amount of tension and unease the duo is able to create on each song makes it worth checking out.
One of the most impressive aspects of Der Stille Zerfall is the thick atmosphere that is present almost from the beginning, which often feels like its aiming to suffocate the listener. “Der Turm” starts off with a methodical pace that lets haunting keyboards and twisted guitar melodies swirl together into a nightmarish soundscape, opening into a blitzkrieg of faster drumming around the halfway point. There’s a noticeably rawer edge to the recording that only adds to how dense the material is, and it keeps Phreneticum often sounding like controlled chaos that is on the verge of collapsing in on itself. It’s an interesting approach that takes a lot of the core foundations of earlier black metal and presents them in a denser and more unconventional manner, as the programmed elements add an industrial sheen that sometimes recalls Mysticum. While the slower build-ups and calculated blasting leaves an impression, the ambient breaks that appear on some of the tracks could still use a bit more refinement. Closing track “Das Grab” works in some fade outs and softer moments, but it comes through feeling too dragged out and disrupts the overall flow a bit too much for my tastes. Yet even with that being the case, the tense nature of the instrumentation and downright violent outbursts kept me wanting to come back for just one more dive into complete madness.
There’s something about the inflection and tone of German that is well suited to black metal, as it often makes the vocals come through even harsher than some of the other languages. This holds true throughout Phreneticum’s debut, as Leichenfresse has a high pitched, raspy scream that manages to pierce through the raw layers of noise. His main pitch reminds me of the earlier Endstille albums where Iblis was the singer, but there are a number of other ones that are layered together to sound like they’re representing multiple personalities. In the case of albums like this, the sense of anguish and unhinged nature of the performance goes a long way and is likely to draw in many listeners early on.
Some of the transitions over to haunting ambient and creepier instrumentation didn’t fully click with me, particularly on the last song, and I think that Phreneticum does have some room to better implement those ideas into the dense and overwhelming black metal base. But even with that being the case, the industrial sheen and rawer nature of the material is appealing, and this debut is still likely to find an audience. Der Stille Zerfall is available from Satanath Recordsand Onism Productions.
https://metaltrenches.com/reviews/phreneticum-der-stille-zerfall-album-review-3077
Zhudebnělý absolutní mráz a temnota…z PHRENETICUM čiší nemilosrdný chlad, temnota, děs a šílenství. Jakoby se na povrch drali veškeří mí vnitřní démoni včetně těch, o kterých jsem dosud neměl ani potuchy, že okupují mou mysl. PHRENETICUM představují opačný konec black metalové scény, stranou v temném koutě, daleko od velkých scén a tisícihlavého publika. „Der Stille Zerfall“ je všechno, jen ne přístupné a pro masovou konzumaci ušité album. Za v současnosti dvoučlenným projektem stojí Leichenfresse a nám již dobře známý Tino Fluch (TROND, ABIGORUM), a není to rozhodně jednoduchá záležitost. Svíravá atmosféra, lomozící kytarové stěny a atmosférické plochy svádějící souboj s pomalými a naopak ultrarychlými výpady, to věru každý nezkousne. To, co se jeví jako hlukový binec, jednotvárná koule téměř prostá silných nosných nápadů chudá na atmosféru, se ve finále často ukáže jako podmanivá a emotivně silná nahrávka, což je případ „Der Stille Zerfall“.
„Der Stille Zerfall“ mi už leccos napovědělo těsně pře prvním poslechem – stopáž pěti skladeb na ploše necelých čtyřiceti minut dala tušit dost prostoru pro atmosféru, ale i tak (jsem na alba tohoto typu vcelku zvyklý, respektive mé slechy ano) to hodnou chvíli trvalo, než jsem se v „Der Stille Zerfall“ začal orientovat. Zvuk je pořádně masivní a hutný, ale stejně tak i silně zkorodovaný a zašpiněný, rozhodně nic jednoduchého pro posluchače zhýčkaného plastovými produkcemi z velkovýroby – jediné, co mi v podstatě na profi zvuku vadí, je velmi časté odlidštění takovýchto produkcí, pro samou dokonalost muzika zmírá v prachu na kraji cesty… tady se sice drobet zpotíte (pokud nejste v undergroundu za domorodce), ale vytrvalost nedojde zmaru. Pět pochmurných a nepřívětivých kompozic skýtá svébytný svět, který moc pravda k životu není, nicméně exkurze do něj se zpáteční vstupenkou vás na životě přímo neohrozí. Syrový atmosférický black metal, zprvu ničím prudce výjimečný, čeká jako skrytý predátor, až nic netušící oběť přijde blíž, a pak se teprve ukáže, co že je vlastně zač. Jakmile začne fungovat silná atmosféra, je jasné, že „Der Stille Zerfall“ není neduživým a ze soucitu trpěným členem smečky, ale obávaným solitérním přízrakem, nahánějícím strach. Útočí plíživě, sžírá zevnitř, oživuje všechny vnitřní běsy každého z nás, boří zdi, za kterými jsme je uvěznili v bláhové víře, že jejich izolace a hlava v písku je samy vyřeší bez našeho přičinění. „Der Stille Zerfall“nastavuje, jak kdysi nastavovali zrcadlo v bolševické TV, zrcadlo našemu temnému já. Málo platný, ty nejhorší démony a stvůry nenajdeme v temných lesích ani v opuštěných hradech, ale uvnitř sebe.
Pokud z „Der Stille Zerfall“ cítíte neklid a mrazivou tíseň, rozhodně se nepletete. Tohle není zrovna pozitivní album, ale čím míň je pozitivní, tím více je jeho atmosféra silnější. Fluchovy kytarové vichřice (kromě vokálů taktéž veškeré inštrumenty) dostaly ve službách PHRENETICUM masivnější a kousavější podobu, jeho osobitý styl se podstatnou měrou podílí na působivosti alba. Je především na posluchači, jak se mu podaří proniknout do nevlídného světa „Der Stille Zerfall“, ovšem komu se to zadaří, vzduchoprázdno rozhodně nenajde.
https://www.metal-line.cz/articles/recenze-phreneticum-der-stille-zerfall-2021-satanath-records-2269
Review
https://www.metalhead.it/album/phreneticum-der-stille-zerfall/