Phidion – The Throes of Scourge

After many years without a full-length, Swedish death metal group Phidion has finally unleashed their first studio record, entitled “The Throes of Scourge”. Sweden’s history with death metal is interesting because there are two very distinctive sounds coming from it. The old-school bands like Entombed, Dismember, and others are of course famed for their HM-2 crunch, yet the bands that came just a few years later created the classic Gothenburg melothrash sound. Bands in 2017 often cling to one side or another, but Phidion manages to incorporate elements of both successfully. In general, they lean much more towards the old-school death metal side of things, with an eternally heavy guitar tone, yet there’s a certain catchiness to their riffs that brings memories of bands like Dark Tranquillity.

Phidion’s ability to diversify their sound a little bit keeps “The Throes of Scourge” a compelling listen throughout. Tracks like “Swarming Spectres” and “Derek’s Don’t Run” almost have a bounciness to them, amidst a flurry of blast beats and tremolo-picking. The band doesn’t ever get too technical (true to the Swedish sound), but there are some slightly busier riffs in a track like “Anthropophagus”. A lot of the time when Phidion isn’t using tremolo-picking, however, they opt for heavily muted, chunky power chords. 

“The Throes of Scourge” does many things well, and there are few faults to it. I’ve always been more partial to the Floridian style of death metal, so Phidion’s strengths don’t necessarily line up with my tastes, but that doesn’t make this a bad release at all. It’s faithful to the genre’s forefathers without being a direct ripoff or clone, and the result is something that should appeal to most fans of old-school death metal. The slight nods to more melodeath sounds often come through the thrashiness of certain riffs, and if you’re into old-school death metal, you probably have a good background in thrash, so those riffs will definitely be appreciated. All in all, “The Throes of Scourge” is a very solid effort that will be appreciated by most death metal fans!

Be sure to check out and like Phidion on Facebook!

Highlights

"Swarming Spectres"

"Anthropophagus"

"Derek's Don't Run"

Final Rating

3.8/5 or 76%. 

Written by Scott

Phidion – Mother Pestilence

It has been a while since we last heard from Sweden’s Phidion. Fortunately, this death/thrash group has returned in 2016 with a 3-track single entitled “Mother Pestilence”. This short release clocks in at under 9 minutes, and offers a satisfying take on thrash-infused death metal. The thrash leanings come largely from the sharp guitar tone, which is even more piercing when the band avoids chunkier riffs. This is primarily a death metal release, however, and so tremolo picking, blast beats, and vicious growls are in no short supply. Phidion’s vocalist can hit lower notes, but often leans towards a raspier high-pitched snarl. When he does go for a more guttural approach, the band helps him out by using more crushing riffs, some of which feature pinch harmonics. 

The best song on this release is not the single itself, but “Derek’s Don’t Run”. The ending of this track features a wicked thrashy riff filled with downpicking, and is certainly the most memorable moment of the release. This track tends to get a bit more brooding and atmospheric after the halfway point, and is a definite highlight. Though this release is good, Phidion has no distinctive edge. They’re beyond competent at what they do, but not all that unique from the legions of Swedish death metal bands out there. If you’ve explored the depths of Entombed, Unleashed, and Dismember worshippers, Phidion is a logical step forward, as this release features stellar production, excellent musicianship, and favourable songwriting, but it is by no means a revolutionary single. There isn’t too much else that can be said about a release this short, but it is a very complete package, so fans of death metal would be wise to check it out!

Be sure to check out and like Phidion on Facebook!

Highlight

"Derek's Don't Run"

Final Rating

3.6/5 or 72%. 

Written by Scott