Photo by Kurt-Prinz
Vienna-based industrial/post-rock veterans PHAL:ANGST teamed up with Welsh musician Brian Williams, AKA Lustmord, for a “remix” of the track “Unhinged.“ Now playing exclusively at Decibel Magazine, the psalm appears on the band’s impending fifth full-length, Whiteout, set for release on January 13th via Noise Appeal Records Noise Appeal Records/Rough Trade.
For Angst — who contributes to the electronic side of PHAL:ANGST — Williams’ early work, specifically Psychological Warfare Technology Systems by Terror Against Terror (featuring Lustmord and Andrew Lagowski), as well as Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Nurse With Wound et al. were an introduction to the world of industrial and electronic music in general.
Notes Angst, “Being a former bass player in punk bands, it helped me transcend the barrier between punk and electronics which was still seen as natural in the 1990s.”
Lustmord’s remix of PHAL:ANGST’s “Unhinged” is another example of his exceptional feel for sombre soundscapes. He did not merely remix the track; he created an almost independent piece. New beats, a new bass line, and Lustmord’s signature dronescapes are the ingredients of this demure dub track, thus he eventually decided to call it a “version” rather than a traditional remix.
“I don’t consider my interpretation a ‘remix’ in the accepted sense as 90% of the original sound and structure was replaced,” Williams offers. “I think of it more as a version, both in the dictionary sense of the word and as a nod to the early reggae B Side ‘version’ from which dub was born.”
Writes Decibel Magazine of the track, “The sprawling, eight-minute soundscape offers a tense blending of PHAL:ANGST’s more traditional post-rock instrumentation — ph (vocals, harp, xylophone), al (guitar, vocals), : (bass), angst (electronics) — with Lustmord’s ominous electronics. The piece features a strong, prominent bass line; loping rhythm; repetitive guitar riff, growled vocals; and electronic atmospherics—like a demonic reggae dub track. It’s psychedelic, pulsing, dark and haunting.”
Stream the Lustmord rendition of PHAL:ANGST’s “Unhinged” at THIS LOCATION.
The music contained within Whiteout bears the hallmarks of an exceptionally individualistic, if not idiosyncratic, band. There are no “songs” in the traditional sense of the word; instead, there are sticky, cinematographic sound epics which meander through numerous atmospheres and temperaments. These are frequently dystopic, melancholic, but also hyper harmonic with a distinct penchant for romanticism. This time, distorted eruptions of rage have been reduced in favor of more reverbed Southern Gothic, dulcet metallophone, subtle dub breaks, and rhythmic vocal samples with stomping beats in slow motion. It’s a work that demands patience, quietude, and attention from its listeners… And possibly mental resilience. When the repetitive line, “So also ist das Sterben” (So this is what it’s like to die), from the album’s closing carries the listener beyond the realm of the living on a crescendo of noise and harmony, one can appreciate the cerebral magic of PHAL:ANGST’s sonic sphere. The artwork was designed using photos by Kurt Prinz, pictures that were partly featured in the book Sezierte Architektur (“dissected architecture”), only adding to the record’s disquieting vibe.
Stream Jarboe’s remix of PHAL:ANGST’s “Severance” – titled “A Tale Of Severance”– at THIS LOCATION. Watch PHAL:ANGST’s previously released video for Whiteout’s title track at THIS LOCATION.
Whiteout will be released on CD, cassette, and digitally. Find EU preorders at THIS LOCATION. (US orders will be available at a later date).
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