* Aaron D Meyers <adm226@nyu.edu>
quoted 3 lines what's this new record like and how does it sound compared to the one>what's this new record like and how does it sound compared to the one
>from hydrahead that came before it? I suspect the change in name might
>reflect some kind of direction. Any truth to this?
From Aquarius:
---
PHANTOMSMASHER "s/t" (Ipecac) cd 16.98
Perhaps you remember (and/or have in your cd collection) the
Atomsmasher cd released by Hydra Head last year? Lead by
avant/ambient guitarist James Plotkin (formerly of weird Earache
metal band OLD), and featuring drum god Dave Witte (Human
Remains/Discordance Axis/Melt Banana/etc.), with processed
"AudioMulch" vocals from DJ Speedranch, Atomsmasher got a pretty
enthusiastic recommendation from us at the time, as a unique blend of
live (but inhumanly played) drums, avant-noise-sampling guitar, and
computer-created chaos. Grindcore electronica?
Well, after a ridiculous legal wrangle with some uptight,
clueless pop band that apparently had the rights to the name
Atomsmasher (and absurdly accused this Atomsmasher of intentionally
'stealing' it), the Plotkin/Witte/Speedranch project changed their
moniker to Phantomsmasher. (I think they should have just called
themselves Atomsmashersmasher.) Now they've come out with a new cd,
on Mike Patton's Ipecac label. At first listen we weren't sure, and
thought maybe the original Atomsmasher cd was superior. This one
seemed a bit too...post rock. Not quite like Tortoise or Gastr del
Sol though, more metallic (but by no means actually metal) and aggro,
kinda like Don Cab. Witte's drumming sounds more real, less
computerized than before. There's still insane blasting parts, but
also some more straight-ahead boom bap. And Plotkin's thick bass
slabs get almost funky. From the get go (track one, "Bishop
Hopping"), with Speedranch's weirdly child-like Mulched vocals, it
reminded us of a Ruins or Hella record, but thrown in a blender on
"high". Cool, but not nearly as out-and-out insanely intense as the
noisefest of their first album, though still pretty nuts. But things
get more interesting as the Phantomsmasher disc goes along. The chaos
coalesces into something more like actual songs, not totally random
rhythms and noise-eruptions. In its own, densely complex, distorted,
and noisy way, it's kinda catchy! Definitely different from the
debut, but they've chosen a worthwhile direction to explore.
---
-Patrick
NP: Intik - "La Victoire"
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