Envisioning an expansion of human consciousness which is directly responsive to the racing-speed of technological advancement and acts as a steward to an ailing primordial biome reveals one key surface level vulnerability of golden age science fictive reasoning: The ripple effect of transhumanist reinvention ultimately manifests a doomed existence for the unthinking, incapable majority no matter the scale of world building. A limited scope yet broad impact power fantasy inevitably builds an ivory tower around the imagined tech (and a killswitch for it) at the center of most space operas for the sake of a readership who, in most cases, seeks exceptionalist escapism above all else. In the case of Athens, Greece-based deathgrind quartet DEPHOSPHORUS continued musing upon the repercussions of impractical technological advancement acts to broaden and blur the suggested directorial lens away from dry heroism toward the existential dread, philosophical insight and outright surrealism available to the transhumanist fictive experience. While the half hour span of their fifth full-length album, ‘Planetoktonos‘, takes inspiration from recent literature for its general themes they’ve inserted their own experiences and convictions unto an altogether unique sound which again gloms grindcore, death metal and post-hardcore into heady yet volatile concoct.

Dephosphorus formed back in 2008 by way of vocalist Panos Agoros and guitarist Thanos Mantas both of whom had been driving force behind deathgrind band Straighthate for almost a decade prior. You can find a fairly detailed recap of their development beyond that point per a prior review for the band’s celebrated fourth LP (‘Sublimation‘, 2020) which I’d reviewed favorably upon release and set at #38 on my Top 100 Albums of the Year. The gist of their appeal is essentially reflective of the core conceit of grindcore, pulling in a variety of influences and summing those parts into transformative interpretation. Their sound initially resembled something like Nasum and Napalm Death from an darker extreme angle with inspiration taken from black/death metal alongside modern post-hardcore/sludge (Knut and Breach are given mention) with some use of electronics/synths (via Miltos Schimatariotis) to sew together their atmospheric command. The total effect, an imaginative groove-driven mutation of many forms, is most often self-described as “astrogrind” for the sake of its combinates of the far-out with the insistent; If you’re already familiar with the band’s sound and are looking for a shorthand check on what ‘Planetoktonos‘ brings beyond ‘Sublimation‘ I’d suggest a more direct, altogether buttoned up experience which cuts back on some of the exploration found on the previous album for the sake of heated kinetic energy.

From the outset the uncertain physical nature of the universe (“Living in a Metastable Universe”) is mused alongside the finitude of randomly aggregated planet-harvested resources (“Hunting for Dyson Spheres”) as Dephosphorus generally reintroduce the scale of their vision through bounding guitar-driven grooves and shrieking raw vocals. As the bow of their ship plows forth the opener rallies toward its gang-shouted rise and the latter piece features their integration of electro-atmospheric elements, both songs manifesting as mid-paced but tense deathgrind songs. If you’ve been a fan of their work since ‘Impossible Orbits‘ (2017) this should all be fairly familiar as an extension of the spaced and deliberate side of their sound developed since; One step beyond “Pale Veins” is potentially the song to stop folks in their tracks per its core groove, a downtuned and barreling step where their specific interests in noise rock/post-hardcore laces the mid-paced death-grinding bap of the song. Not only is this piece catchy outright per its movement but it does well to showcase the fusion at the core of their collaboration while still delivering the essence of post-millennium grind.

From that point a series of shorter, harder hit songs make up the middle third of ‘Planetoktonos‘ with “The Triumph of Science and Reason” plus the gang-shouted extent of “The Kinetics of a Superintelligence Explosion” offering the most classic hardcore/grindcore inspired movement and use of eerie sci-fi sounds beneath Dephosphorus‘ death metal veneer. I particularly enjoy the brief and cutting side of the band, having appreciated these songs for the elaborate ideas they introduce within just a couple of minutes. The best example is probably the latter piece where the lyrics (sung in Greek) speak to Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014) a publication from Swedish philosopher Niklas Boström which details both the advantages and existential threats of artificial intelligence. At any rate I appreciate any band that prompts such a serious reading list, making the profundity of their lyrical themes available for further exploration.

The final three songs on ‘Planetoktonos‘ re-expand a bit, leaning back into the barrage of Dephosphorus‘ blackened deathgrinding fusion as the album offers no real break beyond its first third ’til we’re neck deep in the thrashing groove-metallic sponginess of “Calculating Infinity”. I’d found the last couple of songs on this album a bit too similar though the standout rip through the title track (“Planetoktonos“) offers yet another strong argument for the band’s tightening of their compositional hand on this album, letting the pulse rip loose for a few minutes. Hymnal vocals, ringing arpeggiation, and tidally swerving riffs help illustrate one of several pieces on this album (plus the album cover art) which take inspiration from The Expanse novel series, this one is indicated as speaking to the events of the eighth book as far as I know. While I could go on speaking to the spectacle of each individual track here the general issue which crops up towards the endpoint is that there are no points to pool and muse over these fellowes work as they rip through these ideas, leaving a lot of depth to jet past and over the head of folks less prone to investigate any manner of nuance.

‘Planetoktonos‘ both expands and contracts the greater evolution of Dephosphorus‘ signature as these folks muse on futurity with wide-eyed wonderment and terror alike, generating an unreal limbo where their ideas thrive between states of surreal rocking strut, confrontational bent, and extreme action. Their sound is familiar yet far removed from the status quo as an approachable, oddly tuneful grindcore-adjacent feat which generally benefits from the listener’s familiarity with their discography. If you’d, like me, approached this album familiar with the band’s work and seeking a continuation of the greater conversation then this latest exploration of far-reaching ideas and existential dread will serve you well. If approached on a more superficial level, well, it is an extremely focused but tuneful experience which cruises by quickly with a thoughtful, energetic personality in hand. A high recommendation.

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