

vote
7.5
- Band:
Phrenelith - Duration: 00:39:17
- Available since: 07/02/2025
- Label:
-
Me Saco an ojo records
Streaming not yet available
With “Ashen Womb”, the Phrenelipeh reach a new point of maturity, consolidating their vision of an blackened 'death metal that founded vehemence and suggestion.
As by tradition, the album was anticipated by a promo on a cassette, released last year, which offered a first taste of two tracks then merged into the definitive tracklist. A choice that seems to underline the reluctance of the Danish boys to release entirely unpublished albums, preferring an approach that rewards continuity with respect to the surprise effect.
In any case, the disc represents a new chapter in the evolution of the Copenhagen quartet, which is confirmed here inspired and increasingly at ease as explorers of Death Metal territories rich in evocative ideas, driven by a melodic vein that sometimes It is not very far from black registers.
The influence of a name like Dead Congregation remains tangible, but also in this circumstance the allusions mix with a sensitivity attributable to the Danish tour, see the experiences of some of the members in groups such as Ascendency and Sulphurous. Certainly, this is the most 'refined' and 'atmospheric' we have been proposed by the good David Mikkelsen, leader of the Undergangs, here who has always been busy as a guitarist. The sound of the phrenelithh moves more and more often on the border between physicality and evocative strength, making a wide use of melodies and epic themes, all obviously dropped in a sulphurous and threatening context that obviously finds its foundations in the aforementioned authors of “Graves of the Archangels ”or in the classic enchantments.
In this case, the tracklist stands out for a narrative approach that in a couple of situations makes use of instrumental interludes to tie the main songs, creating a flow that invites you to live the album as a unique experience. This does not mean that the individual pieces are completely lacking in character, but it can be said that the tracklist makes better at the distance, with the most pronounced black metal influence that adds a solemn aura to the typical impact of the group.
In general, there are no various plays to understand that the phreneliths have wanted to raise the bar of their ambition here: the songwriting is more stratified than the previous chapters, with a greater emphasis on the guitar weaves and on a sound narration that, in some Moments, it turns out to be particularly elaborate (see the almost ten minutes of the title-track). Compared to the past, the references directed to the big names of the nineties – as immolation – are therefore a less evident thread, leaving room for a slightly more defined musical personality. It is now clear that the band wishes to evolve by degrees, working on subtleties and details rather than on drastic changes. This could leave a margin of predictability for those who already know their path, but do not remove anything from the quality of the work, which stands out for a consistency and intensity difficult to ignore.
Ultimately, “Ashen Womb” represents a significant step forward for Phrenelith, confirming them as one of the most solid and interesting realities of the Kill-Town circuit and contemporary European Death Metal. A proof that, without revolutionizing the vein, shows growing artistic maturity and an increasing skill in creating works that dig, slow and inexorable, to take root under the skin. An experience whose true power manifests itself only when you let yourself be enveloped entirely by its atmospheres.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM