About 20 seconds into this album, I was shocked. See, the first track is a moody acoustic piece. Totally not what I'd expect from a band that has been cranking out brutal, ultrapolitical death/grind for almost a decade now. Could Phobia be evolving?

Not exactly. After hearing the second track, these thoughts went out the window, and I felt that familiar feeling of my ass being kicked by the pummeling crusty death/grind that this band is known for. It's good to see that some things never change.

For those of you that haven't heard the band, here's a description for you: extremely fast grindcore with plenty of brutal death metal and hardcore thrown in, never too technical, and always brutal and aggressive. Occasionally they break away from the formula a bit, throwing in the occasional slow, sludgey part, and some eerie clean guitar at times, but for the most part, they don't stray too much from the formula I just described. Vocals are (surprise surprise) alternated between low growls and high shrieks. Lyrics are generally ultra-political, like those of a hardcore/crust band, which is, in fact, the scene they associate with most.

Now, I realize this description could be used to describe a huge amount of bands, but you must remember that Phobia have been doing this longer than most, and still blow away most of their peers. Obviously fans of the band won't be disappointed with this album, but neither will people who are just starting to discover death metal and grindcore. Highly, highly recommended.

Review by Mark Pennington

Review date: 04/2002

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