Phased - A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm... h.p. taskmaster ( SuperAdmin ) 74 posts since 1/31/2009 Posted on 2/6/2010 at 8:18:43 AM Phased - A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure Review by JJ Koczan (StonerRock.com) Elektrohasch Schallplatten Release date: Available now Let there be no misunderstanding: Phased know their rock. The multinational (Switzerland, Finland and Sweden) rock trio recently issued their fourth album via Elektrohasch Schallplatten, and though you might expect a band who calls a record something as cumbersome as A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure to beat around the bush for a while, for the most part Phased get right down to business with a borderline trippy psych rock that galvanizes strains of Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age with the rougher hewn edges of Sleep and The Melvins. I know as far as stoner rock goes, these are marriages well made before Phased came along, but A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure has charm beyond its title, and the band’s evident passion for what they do comes across clearly in the songs. They’ve been together in this incarnation for nearly a decade (after originally forming in 1997), and the comfort of the players shows in “Rim Shot to Infinity, “ which is about as unhinged and far out as their jams get. “The Osteopath” and “Tip of the Sky,” which takes the “Holy crap I’m so high” lyrical approach, follow a more straightforward fuzz rock ethic, and effectively, setting up the course for the latter half of the record to get progressively more ethereal and crunchier with each song. Guitarist/vocalist Chris Sigdell, bassist Chris Walt and drummer Marko Lehtinen follow the classic power trio format, but if it hasn’t gotten old yet, Phased certainly aren’t the ones about to push it over the edge. Rather, their songs, when catchy, show a strength for pop flair that, although still feeling like it’s developing, is utterly satisfying. When they spread out and introduce the atmospherics -- which come on several of the songs thanks to the keyboard contributions of Scott Heller of Øresund Space Collective – the effect is hypnotic as only psych rock at its best can be. Their more ambient material, highlighted on “I Come Toulouse” and “Nachspiel Revisited I & II,” is not out of place with the first part of , rather, the two s t y l es enhance each other as the record plays out. There’s little about Phased’s latest that drives either the power trio or psychedelic rock into territories its never seen before, but the songs are well written and executed and the album, despite its sonic twists, flows remarkably well. It’s an easy record to understand, but also an easy record to be lost within, and should be a satisfying listen for any head out there who’s yet to hear the band. A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure may be preached to the choir, but I’d be surprised if Phased didn’t find said choir ready, willing and anxious to hear the sermon. No complaints here. These dudes are up front about what they do and who they’re influenced by, and make no bones about trying to change the world. By rock fans, for rock fans. The system works. URL: http://myspace.com/phasedphasedcom Edited 0 Times   Mighty High ( Community Supporter ) 2,533 posts since 12/6/2007 Posted on 3/11/2010 at 8:46:54 AM Phased - A Sort of Spasmic Phlegm Induced by Leaden Fumes of Pleasure Review by Woody (StonerRock.com) Elektrohasch Schallplatten Release date: Available now Here’s another (bong) hit from the Elektrohasch label of Germany. Phased is the band and their new (and fourth) album comes with the unwieldy title of A Sort Of Spastic Phlegm Induced By Leaden Fumes Of Pleasure. They call their brand of noise “psychedelic deathrock” and it’s an accurate catchphrase. Phased play loud space rock but without any hippy cosmic peace n love stuff. When you’re floating in space you’re gonna get sick to your stomach and your eardrums will explode. Save yourself a ton of money and get this album rather than sign up for a trip to Uranus with Lance Bass on the next NASA express. These 3 bald muthers (2 Swiss, 1 Finn) have spent a lot of time listening to Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Can, early Pink Floyd, Chrome, Sleep, Electric Wizard and the first Stooges album. They’ve also spent a lot of lonely nights playing at ear splitting volume in their practice space coming up with eternal space boogie riffs that recall all their favorite albums but also bear their own personality. They’ve been together since 1997 so they know what they’re doing. The 8 songs on this album were recorded and mixed in 9 days, which is pretty impressive given how complex some of the arrangements are. The root sound is basic power trio but with lots of extra noise layered on top to keep things interesting. Chris Sigdell handles guitar and vocals. His guitar playing brings to mind Dave Brock, Helios Creed and Ron Asheton at different times. Vocally, he bleats out the words like a cross between Nik Turner and Jus Osborne of Electric Wizard. Chris Walt has a fat, distorted Geezer Butler meets Lemmy tone that blends well with the guitar. Drummer Marko Lehtinen pounds hard and furious and gets bonus points for having an enormous Elvis Presley collection. DJ Fontana rules! Scott “Dr. Space” Heller guests on about half the album on synthesizer. “A Surreal Deal” opens the album sounding like something that Sleep would have come up with if they had a chance to write songs with Nik Turner when they toured with him back in 1994. Heavy as hell but with excellent groove and only 3 and a half minutes. Even though the songs aren’t mixed into each other, the entire album flows nicely. Tempos are generally mid-tempo but occasionally speed up like on “The Osteopath” or slow down like on “I Come Toulouse.” Album closer “The Need” is the only super slow dirgey one and is only 2 and a half minutes. Most of the songs are a tidy 4 or 5 minutes but the long ones never get dull. “Maelstrom” is a 9 minute Sabbath-Wind crusher and “Nachspiel Revisited I & II” is the longest at 11 minutes and sounds like Electric Wizard taking on The Stooges’ “Little Doll. Special mention must be made of the excellent lyrics on this record. Too often space/stoner/doom/whaterver bands take themselves too seriously or write throwaway lyrics and bury the vocals. Phased actually incorporate some humor in their words and they’re up front in the mix so everyone can enjoy them. Who wouldn’t want to sing along with “Tip Of The Sky” – “I smoke barrels of Hash in a starch wooden pipe, Lord I’m filling my lungs just to reach for the height.” They also don’t mind a little tokin n stroking on “Maelstrom” where the protagonist claims he “fell into a lesbian scene dream…a spellbinding hex of lovers of the same sex.” Nastay! Somewhere Elvis is smiling. Review courtesy of The Ripple Effect URL: http://ripplemusic.blogspot.com/2010/03/phased-sort-of-spastic-phlegm Edited 0 Times Woody High of the band Mighty High, actually     ( Post a Reply to This Thread ) ( Back to Album Reviews )