“Orbita“, the remarkable debut of Phobonoid, a one man band from Italy. “Orbita” is a conceptual and cinematic journey about the end of the civilization on Mars witnessed by Phobos, where he also meets his brother Deimos, on the already-destroyed surface of Mars. Just for curiosity, and for those who don’t know, Phobos and Deimos are the two known moons of Mars who were baptized with the names taken from same gods from Greek mythology. Phobos is the God of Fear/Panic and Deimos, the God of Terror and Fear as well. “Orbita” introduces a whole new and refreshing sound. Black metal like this doesn’t come too often. Phobonoid blends black metal and doom with industrial and electronic sounds that seem to come from outer space. Besides being mastered by Karl Daniel Liden (who have worked with Breach, Terra Tenebrosa, Switchblade, The Old Wind, etc.) everything else here on “Orbita” has been self-produced in Phobonoid’s home-studio, so this is really almost a DIY release by Phobonoid to whom I take my hat off.
Soundwise, “Orbita” sounds like if black space metal band Darkspace and industrial doomsters P.H.O.B.O.S (curiously this band has nothing to do with Phobonoid) were melded into one. The beats are clearly industrial as they are performed by a digital drum and the sound of the guitar brings the best of two worlds: black and doom metal. The voice whispers and hisses in the background, enhancing this dreary and menacing atmosphere.
It begins with the instrumental intro “Phobos” where this sound coming from nowhere, approaches at a very high speed, almost as if it’s revealing something. Something huge and menacing. Thick riffs are slowly thrown as the marching beat announces the mighty and dreaded arrive of Phobos. Tracks like “ex“, “Vuoto” and “Omega” takes us to some dense, unquiet and desolated black metal territories. The guitar has a very important role here, since it’s the main instrument, the weapon of choice taken by Phobonoid. It feels like there’s dozens of these guitar sounds all layered, entangled together. The result is this very powerful, buzzing, thick and menacing almost industrial sound.
There are some tracks, like “Lo spettro di Deimos” that just like “Phobos” create these cinematic images in our minds where we can imagine the two dark moons over the desolated surface of Mars, spreading nothing but destruction, fear and chaos. One of the key factors in “Orbita” is precisely this. The amazing capability of Phobonoid to embrace this concept and creating, through his music, these images, this cinematic journey in our heads. Taking us to a place we have never been (and never will), to be able to feel the horror of Phobos and Deimos. Every single song here is a chapter of this story. Amazing. “Orbita” closes with two instrumental tracks, “Magnete” and the beautiful “Deimos“, an amazing and epic instrumental. Filled with layers of these thick black metal spacial riffs, while a beautiful solo echoes in the background. Somehow it gives me feeling that this isn’t the end, but the beginning of something.
With a total of 7 tracks, “Orbita” is an amazing 20 minute journey of terror and fear performed in the most darkest, deepest and cold outer space, leaving us begging for more. This will be just the first part of the journey, as Man’s inner nature never changes: it’s a cycle that always ends up with its own self-destruction.
Phobonoid’s spacial opus “Orbita” will be soon available on CD through Dusktone Records and on tape from Eternal Warfare.
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