Phrenelith – Ashen Womb
Phrenelith – Ashen Womb
Dark Descent Records / Me Saco Un Ojo Records
Release Date: 07/02/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
9/10
It’s clear to me that Phrenelith are not here to play games! That was my initial thought upon hearing the first few notes of their soon to be released effort “Ashen Womb”. Their approach to extreme music is as uncompromising as it is devastating! Genuinely, try to listen to the whole album without banging your head, even just a little. You’ll fail.
As I became engrossed in those gnarly riffs, I found my head rocking up and down like a pneumatic drill whilst pulling the stankiest of stank faces (I feel sorry for anybody else who has to witness this). Try to imagine if Ahab,The Ruins Of Beverast and Bolt Thrower had an unholy offspring and this is what you’ll see. Whilst the underpinning Death Metal spice is impossible to ignore, there’s a wonderful, yet ominous, atmospheric aesthetic that screams of absurdly high quality production and painstaking attention to detail. All of which allows each instrument to fully shine and be optimised to its full potential. For evidence of this, check out some of the lead guitar work on ‘Stagnated Blood’ and observe how the blistering tones soar majestically above the mix. A rare moment of beauty, a shining light in a bleak and dark episode. This speaks to the clever pacing of the album, to ensure there’s breathing space between segments to allow each to manifest and allow you to fully absorb them.
This may not be the fastest Extreme Metal record. No, you won’t have your ears subjected to 250bpm blast beats. ‘Ashen Womb’ certainly occupied the more sludgey and riff infested end of the Extreme Metal spectrum. That’s not to say they can’t go fast. They can. Scarcity has value and when Phrenelith do decide to unleash their pace attack, you really do feel and appreciate it’s full impact.
My favourite song of the album? Honestly, just enjoy the whole entity in its entirety, and have a good deep listen. The way it was written and intended to be heard!
Where do Phrenelith sit in the world of Extreme Metal? Sadly, a question I’ve posed and not sure if I can answer. It feels like something very nice is cooking here. Though it may be too early for Phrenelith to disrupt the established order of Extreme Metal, efforts like “Ashen Womb” will stand them in very good stead and give them a very real fighting chance to do so.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Noemata
02. Astral Larvae
03. A Husk Wrung Dry
04. Lithopaedion
05. Nebulae
06. Stagnated Blood
07. Sphageion
08. Chrysopoeia
09. Ashen Womb
LINKS:
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