BeatRoute Magazine AB print e-edition - [August 2017]

PHYLACTERY
Edmonton death thrashers unleash their debut offering
by Sarah Kitteringham
This Month
In METAL
Head to beatroute.ca for a full album stream of Necromancy Enthroned!
On a humid night in July of 2016, Edmonton’s
premiere malevolent black
death act Dire Omen came to Calgary,
performing on a bill with the legendary Rites of
Thy Degringolade, Vaalt, and the newly formed
Cultist. (Full disclosure: the author of this piece
booked that bill). After the performance, DO guitarist
T.G. sheepishly pushed a rather rudimentary
demo into our hands, requesting we check it
out “if you want.”
Containing three very raw extreme thrash
tracks, Demo 2016 was a strong indicator that
Phylactery had rock solid foundations. Dubbed
after an amulet or charm that is worn for its
supernatural powers, the band remained largely
silent until they were announced for Vancouver’s
taste-making Covenant Festival, performing
alongside Revenge, Bölzer, and Blood Incantation.
It was also announced that Dark Descent sub-label
Unspeakable Axe Records (responsible for releases
by Besieged, Encyrcle, Infiltrator, Nucleus, and Sabbatory),
had picked them up. Clearly, we weren’t
the only ones impressed by the blazing guitars,
anguished shrieks, and rudimentary sound.
The amateurism is no longer present on the fulllength,
Necromancy Enthroned. Indeed, it sounds
like the band spent most of the last year jamming
repeatedly, resulting in a cohesive blend of death
thrash that far supersedes the demo. Conceptually,
the album is unified, casting morbid tales of necromancy
and lich (undead creatures popularized by
fantasy fiction).
“I think there are two aspects to the lyrical choices
made on the record, the aesthetic side and the conceptual
side. Speaking aesthetically, I grew up playing
and pouring over the rulebooks for Dungeons and
Dragons and other similar games, so I have a strong
connection to the tropes and characters of that
type of fantasy,” explains drummer and vocalist K.T.,
also of Dire Omen. He and T.G. are joined by on the
record by bassist J.M., also of Edmonton brutal death
metal act Display of Decay.
“You combine that with metal, which has had
SHRAPNEL
photo: Dana Zuk
morbid imagery from day one, and the obvious result
is talking about the undead,” furthers K.T.
“This also fits us on a conceptual level because we
are a band that very deliberately attempts to skew
our sound and influences towards an old-school
style. It seems only fitting that the lyrics on an album
trying to revive a past era of death thrash is focused
on coming back from the dead.”
Reminiscent of classic American death thrash like
Morbid Saint and Demolition Hammer, the record
also conjures up comparisons to Calgary’s own
BLACKRAT with its reliance on a spooky ambiance
and frequent feedback.
“If we’ve done our job right then that act of necromancy,
of bringing that sound back to life, should
be enthroned as something new and our own. Hence
the name.”
Speaking further to the cohesion, the album artwork
was created by celebrated Italian painter Paolo
Girardi. Recently, you’ve seen his work on offerings
by Temple of Void, Manilla Road, Vastum, Inquisition
and many more.
“The album is a narrative running across all 11
songs and the piece which Paolo Girardi did for
us shows the two main characters of the story,”
offers K.T.
“On the cover is the main antagonist, this half bug,
half goat creature known as the Plaguelord, with the
Lich character on the opposite side… The Plaguelord
character came to me in a dream while on tour and
by the end of the day everything about the story fell
into place.”
He finishes, “Because this album is a story about
hubris and conflict, it made sense to have the
antagonist on the cover. So rather than it being a
conceptual piece of art it is more of an emblematic
piece of art for the narrative we’re trying to tell.”
And the result of all this is?
Necromancy Enthroned is one of the strongest
offerings emerging from Alberta in 2017.
Phylactery’s full-length debut Necromancy Enthroned
comes out on August 18 via Unspeakable Axe Records.
Although there are multiple great metal
shows coming through Alberta in
August, we decided that Canadian metal
never gets quite enough love. That’s why this
month, every single band featured in the Shrapnel
section hails from the true north strong and
free. Canadian metal, just obey! On your weak
sounds, WE WILL PREY!
To kick it off, head over to beatroute.ca for our
album premiere of Edmonton death thrashers Phylactery.
The band runs in the vein of Morbid Saint
and Demolition Hammer, and their newest offering
Necromancy Enthroned RIPS.
Meanwhile, wordsmith Christine Leonard spoke
with East Coast doom masters Zaum about crafting
transcendental hymns to far away lands; read
her article in the section before heading to their gig.
The band is touring across Canada this August with
the fantastic Flying Fortress. If you don’t know the
latter yet, it’s about damn time you checked them
out. The duo is made up of the two thirds of now
defunct classic metal/doom trio Goat Horn. The
sonic shift from their previous act is noticeable;
while Goat Horn channeled early Cathedral, Flying
Fortress goes for a bastardized, alt-indie version of
Inepsy. Their newest offering BITCHWIND comes
out on October 10 via Uncle D Records, and is
available for streaming now over at https://flyingfortresstunes.bandcamp.com.
Get in on the brilliance
at Distortion on Friday, August 18 (Calgary);
don’t be surprised if you see ZAUM drummer Kyle
McDonald behind the kit for the show rather than
Steel Rider (AKA Jason Mellish).
Speaking of Canadian metal, the gals and
guys behind a ton of what goes on in Calgary
See Hazzerd on August 11 at Distortion’s 13th Anniversary Party!
are celebrating their 13th anniversary this August.
Head to Distortion on August 10, 11, and
12 for the Calgary Beer Core’s annual birthday
bash. This year, they’ll be showcasing a monster
load of Canuck bands, including Golers, Path
to Extinction, Concrete Funeral, Glare, Train
Bigger Monkeys, Hazzerd, Citizen Rage,
and Rebuild/Repair. Of note: two bands will
be releasing albums at these parties. First up,
Hazzerd! They’ll be releasing their CD Misleading
Evil on Friday, August 11. The band plays an
energetic style of classic thrash with vocals reminiscent
of Megadeth, and their album spans
eight tracks. Be sure to pick up a copy at the
show. Second up: Citizen Rage! The band will be
releasing their fifth EP Pink on Saturday, August
12. The hardcore punk band contains several
of the hardest working musicians in Calgary, so
make sure you pick up a copy!
On August 24, check out one of the strongest offerings
of the month when Halifax crust punk band
Napalm Raid performs at the Palomino Smokehouse
& Bar. The band is touring in support of their
newest offering Wheel of War, and will be playing
alongside Enemies, Erector Set (new hardcore act
featuring members of PMMA, Empty Heads), and
Full Choke (new punk act featuring members of
Chieftain and Savage Streets).
At the end of the month, Vancouver’s proggy
sludge metal aficionados Anciients will be performing
at the Palomino Smokehouse & Bar. Head
to the bar on Wednesday, August 30 to see the
Season of Mist signees perform with Dead Quiet
and Denim Machine.
• Sarah Kitteringham
photo: Brett Olson
BEATROUTE • AUGUST 2017 | 45