Photo by Kurt Prinz
Prolific Austrian record label Noise Appeal Records plans to release Whiteout, a brand new full-length release by Phal: Angst, on January 13st. Head over to Noise Appeal Records for more information about ordering.
The music on Whiteout bears the hallmarks of the very individualistic, if not idiosyncratic band. There are no songs in the classical meaning of the word, instead there are gooey, cinematographic sound epics which meander through various moods. These are frequently dystopic, melancholic, but also hyperharmonic with a distinct tendency to romanticism.
This time, distorted eruptions of rage have been reduced in favour of even more reverbed Southern Gothic, dulcet metallophone, subtle Dub tendencies and repetitive vocal samples with stomping beats in slow motion. This requires patience, tranquility and attention from the listeners. And possibly mental resilience, when the last track’s repetitive line “So also ist das Sterben” (So this is what it’s like to die) carries the listener beyond the realm of the living on a crescendo of noise and harmony. One should be able to engage in this. To be rewarded with the full relish of Phal:Angst’s magic.
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