If Phobophilic was a tangible entity, it would resemble the abhorrent grime found inside of a dilapidated kitchen before Gordon Ramsay loses his shit. 

The North Dakota-based foursome scraped the bottom of your garbage bin and infused it into their full-length (and Prosthetic Records) debuton Enveloping Absurdity, eight hard-hitting tracks rife with muck and slop. It falls in line with the same kind of filth that’s been unearthed the last few years while bringing its own approach to the death metal pockmarked landscape.

Aptly named ‘Nauseating Despair’ tears through a brick wall thanks to Vincent Tweten’s battering-ram drum blasts, and guitars and bass which tickles the diaphragm. Furthermore, the title track is deliberate and evolves into a heavyweight title contender.

Vocalist Aaron Dudgeon – who also contributes guitars – reveals his chops with his labored grunts that leave a musty trail in its wake – ‘Cathedrals of Blood (Twilight Of The Idols)’- and muffled, grizzly lines which tear at the fabrics of spacetime – ‘Enantiodromia’. 

It’s also evident Phobophilic have much, much more to contribute. Tweten displays an intriguing grasp of his drum kit, preferring to artfully carve out lines and fills as opposed to relying only on machine-gunning it. Lead axeman Josh Poer shows his thrashy hand with ferocious strumming on ‘The Illusion Of Self’. And bassist Christian Alm makes his presence felt on aforementioned ‘Nauseating Despair,’ allowing for a full body of work courtesy of all four members. Put simply: this quartet are more than qualified to carry the torch.

Enveloping Absurdity emits hazardous fumes that settle slightly overhead like phosgene gas tormenting the poor souls in the trenches during The Great War. It’s parasitic to the bone and simultaneously articulate. 

Buy the album here:

https://phobophilic.bandcamp.com/album/enveloping-absurdity

7 / 10

MATT COOK