Embodying both the destructive power and slow-encroaching renewal of volcanic activity in their themes and rhythmic movement Lisbon, Portugal-based death metal quartet PHENOCRYST intend to represent the force of nature with the strongest potential to end all life on Earth on this deeply nuanced debut full-length album. Extrusive to start and fissure-bound in their creeping dread toward their ultimate destination these folks do well to present their own bursting, creeping and cavernous vision of ‘old school’ inspired atmospheric death metal on ‘Cremation Pyre‘. Though the riff count isn’t outrageously prolific in their patiently oozed realm every piece counts toward the cumulative hypnosis available to this work with sometimes classicist, often ear-worming nodules forming within the ominous chasm-charged feature they’ve carved out herein.

Phenocryst formed circa 2020 between folks primarily concerned with the Lisbon-area extreme metal scenery with key members from Blasphemous Fire (live and otherwise) as well as black metal band Velar contributing to their first two or so years of activity. The band is mainly the vision of guitarist/vocalist D.S. best known for his work in Archaic Tomb and of course Summon (which became Blasphemous Fire) though their first EP (‘Explosions‘, 2021) would feature some of the touch of then co-vocalist/guitarist N. (Concilium, Sepulcros) as their original sound appeared infused with some appreciation for bands like Bølzer and Grave Miasma with its McEntee-esque swells of intensity and lingering rhythm guitar phrases. For that introductory recording the use of discordance and atmospheric shambling dominated the trod of their work, swerving out on pieces like “Phreatic Explosions” but generally keeping it cavernous yet low to the ground with slow-burning riffs amidst a few bestial insertions. Elements of death/doom and the headier drift were conveyed well for the sake of embodying volcanic activity, earth-rending events though at the time I’d still felt like a tentative idea without having found a real knack beyond some clear experience in atmospherically charged death metal sounds.

The big change here on this debut LP three years later comes via the exit of N. and drummer P. Tosher (Spitgrave) in 2022 where the band’ve brought in Blasphemous Fire live member Jorge Santos and drummer Arthur who has played in a variety of Lagos area extreme metal bands over the years. This shift in lineup means the vision of D.S. is more squarely set on a pure but not quite meat-and-potatoes style of death metal which opts for clearer-set heavy death metal grooves that pummel first and stretch into swerving variation second. You’ll find this change immediate but not at all unsettling as the drive behind opener “Pinnacle of Death” and especially standout “Astonishing Devastation” are related to the original style of the band but delivered with more of a punch and less of a slithering, rung-out melt. You’ll still get the doomed and menacing creep in there but delivered with a more direct style of riff (see: “Pyres of the Altars“) which avoids the dissonant, fractured chords of the EP to build their mountain.

More often than not it is a slow build toward intensity in hand as we reach beyond the more fiery clip of the first couple of opening pieces on ‘Cremation Pyre‘, more-or-less what one’d expect as a follow-up to Phenocryst‘s not-so distant beginnings. The big deal here as we soldier on through this ~40 minute record is how consistent they are in establishing a foundation which is first and foremost underground death metal, heavy and menacing stuff with no poppy groove or compromised touch as the rhythm guitars serve their major statements. “Incandescent Debris” is one of the more interesting songs in this regard as they’ve not only slugged through a trudging groove here but they work in a mid-90’s Bolt Thrower-esque lead at the end of the instrumental piece. Though it is transitional in its placement this does a fine job of making the ear focus on their rhythms and soak in the event of it before we barrel through “Embers of an Ancient Fire”, probably the best representative track on the full listen as we connect their past work with their current state. On that same note “Volcanic Winter” is the perfect companion piece to reinforce that sound, echoing a similar structure and atmosphere with its use of leads in the final third of the song alongside crawling, nigh doomed movement. At this point the riff count isn’t absurdly high but the bones of each piece connect with sense, retaining a primordial volatility somewhat comparable to Wannes Gubbels fronted Asphyx or perhaps moreso earlier Slugathor, a sound which is yet still conscious of the cavernous realms of the late 2000’s but rooted in the classics of the early-to-mid 90’s.

A face value read won’t get the full effect here, in my case their whole deal called for a couple rides through before I’d fully appreciated the full breadth of the scenery depicted. Sure, a lot of big moments happen up front but I don’t know if I was fully convinced ‘Cremation Pyre‘ would offer a leap, or, bring anything all that standout per Phenocryst‘s approach ’til I was about five songs into this new portal and began taking stock of my surroundings. There it’d felt like there’d been some manner of progression achieved in passage, from eruptive pieces to the post-cataclysmic aftermath, in the process of the full listen. They’ve mixed up the pace enough that the final two pieces stuck out as a -destination- where the immersive value of the record fully pooled to the point where I’d sunk in and stuck around for their dark hypnotic riffcraft.

The full listen may appear pretty straight forward but the more times I’d cycled through the more I’d appreciated the ride of Phenocryst‘s rhythms, the trip taken, and the hypnotic endpoint reached. If you’re a fan of death metal records that reach for the very cusp of death/doom but never fully breach that realm you’ll definitely appreciate what this album develops over the course of its run. For my own taste this one has legs, enough of a lingering immersive quality that keeps me returning to its depths even if it could be boiled down to steady handed sub-genre craft on paper. A high recommendation.

---