Distant flames, overlapping in the cloud of time.
The Alpha Centauri army moves towards the Solar System.
The will to power darkens the smell of putrefaction.
The Satellites Alliance must defend its territory, Phobos will have to embrace his weapons again.
Winning today to get lost tomorrow. Does it really matter?
Under the pall of mummified bodies lies the answer.
Thus opens the curtain to another concept album, this time from one-man black metal and industrial act, Phobonoid. It's rare to find a sci-fi inspired BM project (Alien 777 is the only other that comes readily to mind), so of course I had to feature this interesting album. The self-titled Phobonoid is a somewhat avantgarde, noisy affair that takes us on a dark journey, one that was apparent to be conceptual in nature before I even glanced at the liner notes.
But if you take that to me that Phobonoid is going to hold you by the hand and walk you through the story, you should re-evaluate your expectations. The vocals are wretched, filled with distortion, and buried alive amidst the industrial metal grooves and blackened atmosphere. You'll be lucky to decipher a single word. And yet, somehow the main idea comes through; albeit with a good amount of open interpretation on your part.
The melodies (if you can call them that), changes in tone, instrumental set pieces, and otherwise progressive structure of the album all do more than enough to create a sense of structure and narrative. I'm still not exactly sure what I think is happening, but there are a plethora of cues to go on. And in this I applaud Phobonoid. I hate having too much control stripped from me when it comes to my listening experience. This album lays a groundwork and lets you freely build your own thoughts on top of it. It's like a box of space legos with all of the best pieces, but no instruction manual.
So put on the old black-and-white science ficition special on mute, turn down the lights, and press play. Let Phobonoid and your own creativity take care of the rest. I'm heading down to the garage to get my Legos.
