Artist: Chryst
Title: PhantasmaChronica
Genre: Psychedelic Metal
Release Date: 21st September 2011
Label: Omniversal Records
Album Review
Out of 1990’s KOROVA / KOROVAKILL, a cult avant-garde metal band - CHRYST has crystallised to bring out a vision in a form of an album ‘PhantasmaChronica, which presents its songs as a whole. As for its concept CHRYST says to be coming from these strands of school of thought and ideas: surrealism - avantgardism - psychedelism - postmodernism - constructivism - romanticism - hypnotism - mysticism - archetypism - unified without -ism. From within those influences they want to guide you through “a world beyond frontiers and imagination. It gives the illusion to unveil all illusions. It reveals the chronicles behind the phantasms of the visible world that have become chronic”.
I wasn’t so sure about the vocal, but even though it doesn’t match the strength of the music, it suits it perfectly and gives the psychedelic metal they play a gothic flavour. Together with the slight theatricalities soon after initial reaction it hit a bull’s eye with the narrative and evocative texture enriching the whole. Some sections have a weird combination of thrash metal and prog, ‘Universe Inverse’ is best example of this. And certainly when the vocal goes into scream it comes up to match the music’s strength too and makes the second ‘I Are You’ one of the better songs here. The lyrics are a point of interest, at times reminiscent of TOOL minus the literary nature plus more immediacy. ‘Leaving The Ashes’ has an interesting aspect as the vocal is somewhere between singing and spoken word, the music is reaching towards epic. The shortness of many songs also stands out as making it unique and in a way rushed, with the longer songs it brings on a wave-like feel, but yet against expectations it proves to be an aspect to be enjoyed too. ‘The Surge Lands’ have a fantastic narrative as if for a dark, foreboding Tim Burton film with unexpected woodwind instrumentation added.
I don’t think that this album would be for everyone, certainly mostly for those more open for new, unusual avant-garde bends of curious mind will find this album more up their street. For those especially this release will prove quite interesting, welcomingly weird and worth of checking out.
Tracklist
The whole album is 1 song with 47 minutes, For easier navigation there are 14 "tracks" as sub-divisions:
01. The Awakening – 2.41
02. I Are You – 1.58
03. Leaving Ashes – 2.05
04. Storming Outside – 2.19
05. The Surge Lands – 3.54
06. Universe Inverse – 4.19
07. A New Age – 2.52
08. Metatropolis – 3.03
09. The NovoPhrasus – The ChronoMagus – 4.40
10. The Drill-Tower – 3.49
11. Templum Tempus – 4.28
12. Grown Into Labyrinths – 2.11
13. The Architect Maze – 3.21
14. Back in the Room – 5.37
Line-up
Chrystof Niederwieser
Renaud Tschirner
Moritz Neuner
Websites
http://www.chrystworld.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
