ALBUM REVIEW: Phantom Knocks – GRIN
Deep in the heart of Berlin comes a rumble unlike any other, shaking the foundations of the city as it takes unsuspecting souls on a hallucinogenic trip through gut-wrenching heaviness. This is the distinct sound of GRIN, the heavy psych doom power couple Sabine and Jan Oberg (they have also plied their trade together in contemporary Berlin-based bands EARTHSHIP and SLOWSHINE). Phantom Knocks is their third outing, as they continue to build their bass and drum heavy brand of sludgy psychedelic doom. With wailing guitar drones and eerie atmospheres built upon layers of fuzzing grooves, this album definitely has a haunting and evocative appeal.
The mesmeric nature of the album conjures up vivid imagery of phantoms, ghosts and spectres stalking the buildings where their residual energy remains but their earthly form has long since decayed. Whether it is a metaphor for battling the demons within you or the demons around you, there is something innately spooky about Phantom Knocks, more so than the band’s previous records. Whilst there are some expertly crafted doom grooves, GRIN’s penchant for this album lies within the exploration of the darker, celestial realms of psych. Mix this with the slow, gritty aspects of sludge and Phantom Knocks is a formidable record. It will definitely leave its unique and indelible mark on you. In what can be described as something akin to a ritualistic experience, especially with the chanting melodies on Arcane, you can definitely feel a connecting with the shadowier side of your spirit.
Instantaneously, two words spring to mind when listening to GRIN, and those are ethereal and formidable. While the raging fuzz of the bass and gut-punching power of the drums dominate you, the eerie and ominous guitar melodies that cut through the wall of sound make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Meanwhile, the entrancing vocals permeate every spare crevice to create a truly overwhelming tapestry of layered sound. It is abundantly clear that that Sabine and Jan have an innate ability to create hauntingly intriguing music together, having made heavy songs like this together for over a decade. GRIN laid the groundwork for their trademark sound on 2018’s Revenant and over the course of the next four years the band have honed it further. 2020’s Translucent Blades would see their sound get even darker, and this is where Phantom Knocks takes its lead. With that in mind, this album is infinitely more atmospheric; with closer attention paid to the soundscapes, GRIN seem to have worked out the perfect balance between a dominating bass section and baleful atmospherics.
The best thing about Phantom Knocks is how effortlessly it all flows together, creating a continuous entrancing listening experience. Rarely throughout this album does your concentration break as you are transfixed by the crushing grooves and omnipresent vocals. Opening up with Transcendence, it feels like the start of a delirious journey through the hazy otherworld. The song also establishes the bass and drum dominance which transcends the album. It is also where dread-inducing crescendos swirl around you in the latter half of the song. Shiver ramps up the energy and introduces the harmonised vocals that give Phantom Knocks its more ethereal feel. Aporia is a gut-busting, skull-splitting all out sludge track and a stark contrast to the previous two tracks. Dingy and groove-laden, the mystical aspect of this song comes from the Phrygian melody floating over the top of the heavy chaos.
Arcane is one of the more atmospheric tracks on the album, ebbing and flowing with droning guitar melodies in a bewitching manner, and the aforementioned chanting melodies which are incredibly catchy. Apex brings us crashing back to the sludgy heaviness and Phrygian melodic devices of Aporia, but the groove is easily the best on the album. Rivulets is an assault on the senses; with riffs, vocals and beats coming at you from all sides, this disorientating track prepares you for the final blow delivered by Servants. This track feels demonic, as if it is summoning something from the abyss as clean vocals are contrasted with demonic growls. Dark and devilish it is a frightening chapter in this album’s story. Spectral feels like the aftermath of the grand ritual of Servants; starting slower with jangling chords, it builds to the album’s final crescendo of a life trapped in a form of purgatory as your soul aimlessly wanders.
Beautiful, dark and ominous, GRIN have taken themselves to a new level with Phantom Knocks. This is a spellbinding journey into the darker atmospheres of heavy psych doom that is refreshing and intriguing. Exploring their sonic capabilities has created an immersive and ethereal listening experience that you won’t forget.
Rating: 9/10
Phantom Knocks is set for release on October 14th via The Lasting Dose Records.
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