Phlebotomized - _Skycontact_
(Cyber, 1997)
by: Drew Snow (9 out of 10)
For those not familiar with Phlebotomized, they are the Dutch sextet who released their awesome grindy death/doom debut full-length _Immense, Intense, Suspense_ a year or two back, with some extremely guttural vocals, atmospheric violins, and keyboards, and an all-out heavy, yet sorrowful and melodic release. Now, put that Phlebotomized out of your mind, because the material that the band has put forth on their followup, _Skycontact_, has undergone a -major- musical transformation, and bears almost zero resemblance to _IIS_ at all. The eight tracks and nearly sixty minutes of music present on _Skycontact_ represents a giant metamorphosis, combining several elements, from atmospheric, psychedelic interludes complete with spacey sound effects, to toe-tapping, upbeat guitar riffs, to quiet, ballad-esque sections, and the occasional lapse back to the days of old with double-bass frenzies and guttural vocals. No, _Skycontact_ is definitely -not- for the close-minded listeners out there who shut themselves off into one genre and shun all others, this is open-minded music, for open-minded people, and Phlebotomized pull it off perfectly. I guarantee there was never a period during songwriting when the band came to an impasse because "this riff doesn't fit the style" or something "wasn't extreme enough"; they put their souls into the music with no restraints at all, and it shows. There are just so many different styles, melded perfectly into a one-hour release of pure feeling and emotion, that it's impossible not to give this original, and indeed -brave-, album a very high recommendation.

(article published 9/4/1997)


CHATS
7/6/1997 D Schinzel Phlebotomized: The More Things Change...
RSS Feed RSS   Facebook Facebook   Twitter Twitter  ::  Mobile : Text  ::  HTML : CSS  ::  Sitemap

All contents copyright 1995-2024 their individual creators.  All rights reserved.  Do not reproduce without permission.

All opinions expressed in Chronicles of Chaos are opinions held at the time of writing by the individuals expressing them.
They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else, past or present.