PHASED - Medications (2008)

[padrak]

Voe: 2008

Genre: Psychedelic Death Rock

Label: Elektrohasch Records

Tracklist:
01. Worship The Sun
02. Nihil Slayride
03. Reminder
04. Frozen Buds
05. The March Chapel Experiment
06. Sausage Tricks
07. Traces
08. Back In Time
09. Solitary Animal
10. Nude Interlude From Hell


Spielzeit: 46:56


I didn’t know that “Death Psychedelic” was a genre, but the album “Medications” by Phased proves there is one, and it’s a valid one indeed. It was nothing less than a shock to hear such doomy riffs on an Elektrohasch album. I’m must confess that I’m not much on what doom I’ve sampled—Electric Wizard puts me to sleep.

A couple things immediately grabbed my attention. First, two references to John Coltrane, who, IMO, put together the best band of the 20th century. (Both the title is a pun in the “Meditations” album, and the invocation of “A Love Supreme: in the tune Worship the Sun). Although a lot of the riffage and vocals will strike you as “Overtly Doomy”, there is definitely something very subversive going on here, in both the lyrics and arrangements.

The arrangements are not afraid to shake up the traditional doom formula—there is some free meter wanderings at the end of Worship the Sun, an uptempo raveup in “Reminder”, tempo changes in Frozen Buds, the jazzy bass solo at the end of Sausage Tricks, and, in general, an ability to play around a slow tempo beat that is sadly lacking in a lot of the Doom I’ve been exposed to.

Fortunately the album also comes with the printed lyrics, which shows a lot more than the typical dime store Satanism and drug references.. Okay—there are definitely the drug references (some very funny), but NIHIL Slayride evokes the evil you’d see on CNN instead of H.P. Lovecraft., and, Traces is really some excellent introspective poetry.

If you are really heavy into either the Doom or Psychedelic camps, and don’t like it when someone messes with the rules, this isn’t the band for you. On the other hand, if you want your brain played with WHILE the top of your skull is sheared off, you should give this album a shot. (Quelle: stonerrock.com)

Persoenlicher Nachtrag:
So viele Schweizer Bands kenne ich nun auch wieder nicht und gute noch viel weniger. PHASED gehoeren definitiv zu den guten und bieten mit ihrem selbsternannten "Psychedelic Death Rock" Fans von tiefgestimmten Gitarren einiges fuer die Ohren. Der Saenger koennte manchmal noch etwas an seinem englischen Akzent feilen, aber dieses kleine Manko wird von den Gitarren eh weggewalzt.

Meine Wertung: 8.0/10

Hoerbeispiele: http://www.myspace.com/phasedphased