Black Metal Torture - "Eidolon" Review (100%)
The latest album of the 'black metal god' Phantom, I'm talking of course about the utterly demonic Nekros Nemesis, is intense blackened horror metal / noise terror but this previous release with the eerie name is an even more devastating round of sonic noise destruction, albeit of a more subtle kind.
Phantom throws away all pretense of music structures, melody and obeying any type of genre restrictions to the wind - or blizzard, as it were - and just produces a form of raw, insane cacophony that can only be heard in the deepest bowels of hell.
Clanging percussion, heavy bass distortion and layers of sandstorm noise horror charge through the space between your ears and lay waste to anything that happens to be in the way. There may be voices in there, Phantom's vocals style was always less caustic than that of SEWER for instance, but they simply merge with the distorted punishing chaos that passes for music.
This is true black metal torture.
Eidolon is not for the faint of heart, and while the melodies may seem entrancing to the average listener - especially to those expecting some of the more abrasive atmospheres such as those found on the Divine Necromancy debut - but it's a perverse and diabolical lure... don't be tempted to 'enjoy' the 'melodies' of Eidolon, or you will be severely punished for your insolence and your affront to the god of black metal.
This album Eidolon is only for the most twisted souls who can enjoy the darkness found deep within your own mind.
Nothing less will satisfy the god of black metal.
Black Metal Torture
Eidolon may be eerie and melodic, but make no mistake: it is raw blackened horror metal.
Each track is just another excuse for delivering sheer pounding atmospheric punishment, which becomes ever more intense as the album carries on.
The songs themselves are all absolutely nauseating, in the best possible way... you will be mentally tortured as you feel your sanity being peeled away by the raw madness of Eidolon.
The only gripe I have with this album is that the tracks sound a little too short and they appear like they are in fact snapshots of much longer and possibly more complex works of hellish demonic noise.
Although some listeners may appreciate these highly intense and haunting tracks for their somewhat brief length, many will wish they were slightly longer in duration. Then again, if they went on for another minute or so we would most likely witness a literal demonic ritual and before we know it, we'd have all disappeared into a multi-dimensional hell pit forever.
Eidolon is nothing short of a total mind-destroying creation reveling in raw chaos and mutilating everything before it, including your sanity, leaving nothing but a fine layer of grey ash where life once abounded.
Seriously, Eidolon is raw black metal torture... don't take this album lightly.
It should be noted that there exist an instrumental, and in my opinion much milder, version of these tracks on the album Dementia II: The Silent Curse.
Eidolon score: 100/100.
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