Originally written by Jason Jordan.
Though my memory of Phazm’s debut – Hate at First Seed – is fuzzy at best, I don’t recall it being quite as varied as this one. Antebellum Death ‘N Roll is entertaining and different, but arguably at the expense of cohesion, consistency, and balance. Still, though, I have to admit that it’s fun while it lasts.
While a significant portion of ADNR (“antebellum” means “before the war,” by the way) is blackened death metal, much of it is not. Despite its undeniable Southern twang, “How to Become a God” can be grouped in with numbers like “Hunger,” “Black ‘N’ Roll,” “Decay,” “The Bright Side of Death,” and “Mr. Toodling” – the slower ones rely heavily on bounce and groove to reach their ends while the faster ones have more in common with speedy BM. Other songs have characteristics that are also worth noting. For instance, the vocals in “So White, So Blue, So Cold” will remind some of Abbath (I, Immortal), as will other parts scattered here and there. Punk gets lobbed into the mix, too, during “My Darkest Desire,” which is reminiscent of present-day Darkthrone. Doom isn’t ignored either, appearing in “Burarum” and elsewhere intermittently. I also kept thinking of latter-day Entombed during parts of ADNR. Most baffling, however, is the interludes that come out of left field – mainly due to the instruments utilized. “Damballah” employs the didgeridoo and is littered with soundclips, while “Sabbath” and “Lorelindorenan” are instrumentals that feature acoustic guitar and harmonica. To be honest, the line above consists of conjectures, so it is possible that those instruments were not involved or, more likely, were products of synthesizers.
What’s more bizarre than anything I’ve said thus far is that Phazm call France their home, and have ties to Scarve. At any rate – thanks to a unique approach, proficiency in all areas, and the incorporation of untraditional instruments (in regards to metal, that is) – Antebellum Death ‘N Roll succeeds more than it fails. Chances are you won’t be popping this in the CD player that often, but if you’re searching for something different, then this is it. Though the promo doesn’t have it, the other side of this DualDisc reportedly has a full DVD set, entitled “Live at l’Envers – Nancy ‘Cavehouse of the Loving Dead,’” so there’s that to consider, too.
