Phobia - "Remnants of Filth" Album Review

Phobia is one of those bands where you know exactly what you are going to get whenever they put out a new album. Throughout their entire existence from "Serenity Through Pain" and onwards, Phobia have been a consistently solid band, putting out "punk as fuck" grindcore albums and numerous splits since the 90's. Their new full length, "Remnants of Filth" (released by Deep Six and Willowtip Records), keeps their tried and true formula in check. The band, once again featuring grindcore champions Bryan Fajardo and Dorian Rainwater on their respective instruments, waste no time dishing out the punishment after a solid mid-paced opening (I'm just going to ignore that cheesy as fuck sample though). From then on, it's just 19 minutes of straight up grindcore. The recordings sounds great, and the band sounds incredibly tight. The drum mix in particular is fantastic; the bass drums add a great low end rumble, and the snare cuts through like a knife.
Given that Phobia have kept their familiar sound, "Remnants of Filth" probably isn't going to convert any new listeners. If you haven't liked Phobia in the past, this most likely won't change your opinion. There aren't really any stand-out tracks on here, it's all pretty consistent, but it's not without it's moments. Some familiar Rainwater-ism's come out now and again; a couple dissonant riffs here and there, and a weird chromatic riff on the track "Resolution". The sharp left-turn breakdown on the track "Submission Hold" is a nice touch, and the minor key chord progression on "Resuscitate" is pretty interesting for the band. Overall, it's not a mind-blowing album, but it's another solid and highly enjoyable addition to Phobia's ever growing catalog. Recommended.



Rating: 7.5/10

~VII