Dephosphorus – Axiom

This rarely happens. I put a record on for the first time and, 80 minutes or so later, on the fourth consecutive spin, I am still quite happily sitting there with no urge to consider what to move onto next. No distracting excitement to hear other bands, safe in the knowledge that I can return to this obvious masterpiece tomorrow morning after a long evening of musical enjoyment. But I am relishing it, transfixed, hungry for more, nay, lusting for more! This is the only thing I will listen to tonight. What the fuck is going on?

Dephosphorus go above and beyond for grindcore. And from Greece too. I’m totally unaware of any identifiable scene in those parts, but somehow their very first recorded effort, Axiom, has bested the entire genre. I don’t even know what I’m saying now. It seems such a bold statement, yet also one of fact.

The band refers to itself as “astrogrind” and while it’s imperative to know the difference between coining a pretty neat idea and a stupid gimmick, the term is actually wholly justified. But what does it sound like? Well, let’s get this straight, there’s no chance of this “starting something”. Dephosphorus are the only band that could ever conceivably play this music – it is theirs and theirs alone.

They follow the guidelines of grindcore closely without being suffocated by them. And, as you’re probably aware, those rules are often so dominating that many other bands are unable to do this, content with the “Well, that’s how grindcore is played and we’ll leave it at that” mindset – a dangerous way to be, because it just destroys any potential for deviation and experimentation within the movement. Those guilty parties end up indistinguishable from each other.

Dephosphorus, on the other hand, are totally free from these shackles, soaring (or grinding) towards higher planes of expression for such unhinged brutality. It’s blindingly fast, yet they know when to show restraint; clearly grindcore but also so much more. Drawing upon all the best things about the most extreme facets of hardcore and metal, you never know where Axiom will take you next.

The record will spontaneously switch from punk, to death metal, to sludge, to black metal, to grindcore and back again, often for mere seconds at a time, and all the while sounding flawlessly cohesive. It’s unprecedented and frankly quite scary. But it also sounds like nothing we’ve heard before, like gazing on a beautiful and undiscovered world: vaguely familiar, but now full of colour, dynamism and, above all, freedom. Each song teases you right from the beginning, just to get better and better as the themes develop and ideas become clearer. Stark, memorable moments can be found throughout the record’s brief running time, adding an unparalleled flow and entertainment value.

So what is Dephosphorus? And what the hell is astrogrind? It could be atmospheric grindcore. Not to say it was never atmospheric in the first place, but it did have only one atmosphere: grind… and grind. Now it feels infused with new life, untethered and audacious. Or it could be melodic grindcore, bringing in such wide influences and knowledge that the music, however ugly, also has moments of sheer elegance and finesse. Or it could just be album-of-the-year-grind, but hey, that’s just me. Not since Khann has a band of this type impressed me so much.

Axiom – the “astrogrind masterpiece in seven acts” – can be downloaded for free at the link below. However, the LP (released by 7 Degrees Records) and other merchandise can also be bought from the same location. So give it a listen… Then give them your money. They’ve been honing their craft to perfection for three years, they deserve it.

DOWNLOAD AND BUY
ALSO ON BANDCAMP

And mad props to Black Uroborus for listening and discussing the album with me. It was very helpful and awesome fun.

Hates music and writing. Unfortunately, he's a journalist.

12 Comments

  • Reply July 14, 2011

    Alex

    The new Khann record is pretty ballin’ actually.

  • Reply July 14, 2011

    Richard

    I didn’t know it was out?!

  • Reply July 14, 2011

    Alex

    Its called Erode – definitely worth your time.

  • Reply July 14, 2011

    Stephen

    I would also like to add that I think the album artwork really is appropriate for this release. The good chaps at Viral Graphics did a fine job in drawing out the essence of this release.

    I also need to check out this Khann, since that’s the third time they’ve been mentioned in a 24 hour period. SO IT SHALL BE DONE.

  • Reply July 15, 2011

    Artur "Haxan"

    Here we are talking about this awesome album “Axiom” and all you guys talk about is Khann, that in my opinion, their new album is just much-of-the-same. I was totally blown away with this album by Dephosphorus, the greeks really know their shit.. it starts with some crusty riffs, then it goes to some “Neurosisesque” mega riffs and then it changes to black metal and grind, and then they reshuffle it again.. awesome. The only negative aspect i can find about this is that is too short.. only 19 minutes long. The solution? Have listened to it about 3 times in the space of 1 hour…

  • Reply July 19, 2011

    Richard

    The review on Vonfrost13, which mentions this one, is also very helpful for understanding what the band is about. It gives more details on the members and past projects, things I failed to mention due to the massive boner I had for this record from about 30 seconds in.

  • Reply July 29, 2011

    7DegreesRecords

    if you dig what you hear, get your copy of “AXIOM” on a black 12″ packed into a beautiful gatefold sleeve. 10 euros + shipping (f.e. 1 copy: 14€ EU + WORLD, 16€ registered)

    also still a few shirts available
    Paypal possible

    get in touch @ 7degreesrecords[AT]gmx[DOT]net

  • Reply March 20, 2012

    blasting D

    yes Dephosphorus is a really special band, grinding like no other and doing more than just grinding!

    read an interview with their singer Panos Agoros on Blasting days (contains ammong other things info about their fortcoming releases!)
    here it is : http://theblastingdays.blogspot.fr/2012/03/dephosphorus-axiom-first-release-by.html

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