Phenocryst - Cremation Pyre

 Phenocryst is a death metal band from Portugal, who formed in 2020.  After releasing their debut ep, “Explosions,” in 2021, the band is dropping their full-length debut “Cremation Pyre.”

And what an album it is!  The band’s style is extreme to the tenth degree but it also contains a horde of other elements; doom and psychedelic tendencies can be found within the album’s 8 track, 39 minute runtime.

A phenocryst is a type of crystal formed in volcanic rock—a fitting name for the band as their subject matter is based around volcanic disasters.  The music often reflects such cataclysmic events by offering moments of blistering speed with slower, methodical moments.  Volcanoes take time to build up their devastation, after all.

The opening song, “Pinnacle of Death,” begins with a heavy, sweltering blanket of riffs that creep up to its explosive run that begins at the 35 second mark.   The drums are fast, crisp, and on point like deadly strikes of lighting that always find a target.  The band is at their best when they lean into their doom side, such as just after the halfway mark before once again bearing their pervasive rumble upon my ears.  

I like how the music is always extreme but its density and slower moments expertly build up just the right amount of tension without giving too much away.  This aspect makes it all the more satisfying when the band rages out, spewing forth like the volcano on the cover art.  “Astonishing Devastation,” takes this to heart, offering a somber intro of what to come then suddenly the music just balls out explodes.  As quickly as the violence hits, it subsides into a groove that flows like lava moving towards its target.  The little details make it pop, such as the bass drop near the 2:26 mark.  Near the end, the tempo flows from atmospheric tinged riffs to unbridled fury.  

The highlight for me is “Embers Of An Ancient Fire,” because it just straight up nails the album’s overall sound.  The opening is massive riffs, boosted up by a sea of raging double bass.  The tone is sinister as hell—-everything is as natural and unstoppable as nature itself.  The transition from slow, to mid, to fast tempos in the song is smooth with a clean outro that is not unlike the post-devastation in the wake up nature’s brutality.  

The last full-length song is “Fogo Nas Entranhas,” and it translates to “fire in the bowels,” at least to my limited knowledge aka I googled it.  Regardless, I feel like this is the final step in an volcanic eruption set to music.  At this point, nature has uncoiled its indiscriminate death tendrils, outstretching to send out a final message to the unfortunate caught in its path.  The music reflects this, as it is fast paced and unstoppable—the only thing to do is succumb to it because there isn’t any escape.  Even if you did, there is nothing to come back to. 

Phenocryst’s “Cremation Pyre,” is a, wait for, rock solid death metal album that captures the feel of its subject matter by using its extremity as another tool to explore such a subject that uses boundless extremity.