Phobia - Remnants of Filth
Willowtip
Grindcore
18 songs (19:35)
Release year: 2012
Willowtip
Reviewed by Koeppe

Phobia’s 2006 record, Cruel, is a classic amongst the genre for how efficient the grind that they produce is. This album follows that path in being one of the better grindcore releases of the year by clocking in, doing what it does best, and being finished before you know it. The band mixes equal parts punk, hardcore and death metal that enables them to jump from buzzing riffs to blasting breakaways and back to chugging breakdowns in a single song. Their ability to blend all these sounds keeps each song unique, providing the necessary variety when all too often grind acts devolve into monotony.

On first listen, the catchy gang chant of Resolution will hook you with its obvious punky upbeat vibe. The downtuned grooves of Submission Hold will have you banging your head. Plagued by the System recalls that early Napalm Death sound without being reducible to a mere copy of the classics. The vocals range from manic screaming to guttural shouts as showcased on Constrained Relations; the deep barks bouncing to the frenzied rasps. Filthy Fucking Punks captures Phobia doing what they do best in terms of d-beat, crusty punk at a groovy but fast pace. The penultimate closer, Resuscitate even manages to introduce melody into the mix, before the crushing downtuned riff kicks in.

If you still need some kind of incentive to check this album out, that is, my account of how fun and punk-infused this album is didn’t entice, Scott Hull did produce it. If it’s got his seal of approval... But seriously, the production here is tighter than I had heard it prior in any of their full-lengths (Hull apparently produced a split for them last year) and it makes the album much more digestible. Phobia truly create catchy grindcore that is enjoyable as a one-off listen insofar as it will instantly hook you, but still after multiple listens it will keep you grooving. They’re just too good at what they do for anything less.

Killing Songs :
Resolution, Let It Go, Filthy Fucking Punks, Resuscitate
Koeppe quoted 81 / 100
Other albums by Phobia that we have reviewed:
Phobia - 22 Random Acts Of Violence reviewed by Goat and quoted 80 / 100
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