Phrenelith “Ashen Womb”
Modern death metal bands that have gained traction in the underground go beyond the musical formulas established by the OSDM sound. This is where the wider term extreme metal is more apropos; describing a purposeful blending of genres to create something unique yet devastatingly heavy. In the case of Phrenelith, they do in fact have a strong OSDM backbone that is showcased in their production style, guitar tones, and lyrical themes, however they strived to be more sinister sounding than their peers in Denmark.
Their 2017 debut Desolate Endscape put them on the map and incorporates some grindcore elements, some death/doom passages, and a grimy production for a somber atmosphere. Their second full length, Chimaera, kept their core sound but ventured into more atmospheric territory with a greater focus on the death doom sound and more complex dynamics in the drumming and song structures. Each album follows a loose theme of despair, hopelessness, or world desolation and is reflected in both the artwork choice and lyrics, making each record a full sensory experience. In a 2022 interview with Brandon Corsair at Invisible Oranges, Simon Daniel spoke about the band’s sound stating
“I personally have no desire to make the exact same album again and generally have a deep admiration for bands that strive to constantly take their music in a new direction, even after a very successful album that had a good response.”
Phrenelith’s third full length album Ashen Womb has a more mature, balanced sound that incorporates elements of previous releases. The gloomy atmospheric elements continue to be expanded on within this record as interludes between key moments, some even having a psychedelic interdimensional feel. The new direction taken on this record sees Phrenelith incorporate a much more blackened sound to their riffs; a welcomed addition. After a short instrumental opener, “Astral Larvae” jettisons us right into the apocalyptic soundscape that envelops this record. The familiar grinding guitar tones that Simon Daniel and David Torturdød use work well with the blackened melodies and dissonant notes that make up the body of this song. “Nebulae” is one of the stand out songs of this record as it not only opens with some spacy effects to go with the title but accentuates the band’s creative way of weaving different genres together. The recurring movement is an onslaught of blackened death metal and blast beats which morphs into a death doom passage in the middle of the song and then combines into an epic hybrid melody that fades out into its own instrumental interlude. The title track “Ashen Womb” also encapsulates the core Phrenelith sound and the blackened direction of this album really well while giving us a glimpse into some of the more unorthodox psychedelic touches the band added to their mix. Specifically, at the 5:40 mark the song does a drastic atmospheric shift into a trance inducing riff that gives way to a full band jam session where each instrument shines and plays their own unique riff or beat to add to the ambiance. There may be some additional atmospheric samples woven into the mix during this extended outro or it may be layered tones from the instruments themselves, regardless it feels like the apocalypse is here to stay.
Ashen Womb is a stellar continuation to the Phrenelith discography and should be listened to front to back in a single sitting for the clever atmospherics and flow of the album to be fully absorbed. The more blackened direction, paired with atmospheric passages, and touches of genre experimentation make this album unique and once again realizes the band’s vision for creating newness in their music. This is not simply another OSDM worship record, but is instead an extreme metal tapestry of bleakness worthy of study.
SCORE: 4 / 5
FFO: Incantation, Hyperdontia, Cruciamentum
You can pre-order your physical or digital copy on Dark Descent Records’Bandcamp today.
