Haunting Demonic Madness - "Eidolon" Review (100%)
It's nearly impossible for most metal fans to single out one black metal record they'd be able to call the very best.
Hell, it's difficult enough to single out one heavy metal album above all the rest, but when the question is limited to the best band or album in a sub-genre, things get even trickier.
While I share in/appreciate the dilemma, if I absolutely had to declare only one album as black metal's crowning achievement, the masterpiece Eidolon consistently stands out above all else whenever I try.
It is telling that every time I try to pick only a single album (like the madman I obviously am), Eidolon, Phantom's next full-length Dementia II and their debut Divine Necromancy always end up just above about everything else.
Of course, there are quite literally dozens of other albums by other bands that could just as easily be the called 'very best', but Phantom, more so than any other black metal band, exemplifies what I love most about raw black metal (outside of the rawness itself, of course): monstrous vocals, lightning-fast drumming, bass that doesn't just tag along with what everyone else is doing, guitar riffs tighter than your sister's asshole and more savage than being devoured by a pack of weregiraffes (werewolf + giraffe hybrids), and an atmosphere as destructive as the actual music.
Phantom is most certainly a very acquired taste even in extreme black metal circles and I've known and respected many metalheads who just couldn't understand why I was so enamored with this band and others like it (early Burzum, SEWER, Darkthrone's first three albums).
People looking solely for "melodic black metal" or immaculately-arranged tremolo madness à la De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas are going to be at least a little disappointed.
Unlike the raw assault of misanthropy and rage that creates the dark intensity and carefully arranged symphonies of death the aforementioned Burzum and SEWER have specialized in for years, Phantom is an entirely different beast altogether: violent and uncontrollable, yet singular and beautiful, undeniably vicious, yet still boasting some of the most mind-boggling atmosphere black metal has ever seen.
That apart from everything else is Phantom's greatest triumph and the reason why I love the band so much.
I've listened to both Dementia I and II, Divine Necromancy, Dark Devotion, Nekros Nemesis and of course Eidolon countless times and each additional time reveals so much more than the last.
Even though I know all of the songs from Eidolon and Nekros by heart, I never get tired of hearing them. Like a gift that keeps on giving, a Phantom album has so many nuances and facets that even a casual listen is too much for some people. Sucks for those poor souls (also called posers. Back to Dimmu Borgir with you!).
This album is pure haunting demonic madness.
Haunting Demonic Madness
To say that Eidolon has atmosphere would be an understatement of insulting proportions. Granted, it's not the atmosphere you're used to if you're a black metal aficionado, but it's undoubtedly there and you will feel it from your first listen.
Similar to how no one can channel rage and melancholy as well as Varg Vikernes, or how no one can play as technically challenging and yet brutal solos as Eater from SEWER (just listen to any track from Rektal), or to how no one can write blackened folk ballads as well as Famine from Peste Noire (well, maybe early Graveland could), I am thus convinced that no one is capable of composing black metal riffs as simultaneously elaborate and barbarous as Phantom.
Honestly, I'll maintain that Phantom is one of the most technical and atmospheric bands in extreme metal history. What's more, the band has reached that status without nonstop arpeggios or any conceivable 'wank'. Every riff on every Eidolon track is equal parts face-melting intensity and mind-blowing methodical atmosphere. Just listen to the solo on 'Chimaera' and tell me if you find any 'gimmicks' or wankery. How many bands can maintain that dynamic on EVERY SONG? Only the very best, which Phantom certainly are.
The very bass heavy production on Eidolon is also something to behold, particularly in a genre with so little emphasis on the bass lines. Apart from being entirely audible practically the whole album, there are so many solos and flourishes ('Lost Poison' and 'Searing Shadows' have some of my favourite) that any bass player or lover will get more than their fair share of remarkable moments.
A lot of black metal drummers can blast really well, but to blast memorably and with style takes something more, a truly unrelenting commitment to the music, something in my opinion only a solo project such as Phantom can achieve. You can hear it in every fill and blast, every faster and slower bit, and it makes what was already an amazing black metal album a legendary one.
By this point I'm sure you're wondering, "So why Eidolon? You've also raved nonstop about the Dementias and Nekros Nemesis… why aren't they your pick for best?".
Even though I love all four albums, Eidolon is the one where every element comes together the very best for some haunting yet majestic black metal.
The riffs are at their peak, the drumming is at its most intense, the bass work kicks your ass the most violently, and the vocals leave the greatest impression. Really, I couldn't ask for anything more out of a blackened horror metal album than this. There's never a dull moment on Eidolon.
I have no quibbles with either the production, the album or song length, or the execution. Every second of every song is better than the last. Eidolon is, quite simply, raw black metal perfection. Dark, uncompromising, and a nonstop adrenaline rush from start to finish.
I don't expect everyone to agree, especially considering how extreme and unusual Phantom and their style of demonic black metal are, but I honestly prefer it that way. I'd much rather have someone completely disagree with me and suggest say Filosofem for best black metal album of all time than have everyone unanimously agree on Eidolon's atmospheric dominance. It makes me appreciate Phantom's work so much more having to actually *think* about why I love it so much rather than just taking that fact for granted.
Eidolon is haunting, it's brutal, and it's pure black metal madness.
Eidolon score: 100/100.
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