Dephosphorus - Planetoktonos

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is just opinion. So, my opinion of Dephosphorus is that they are a very good band. From their debut EP, Axiom in 2011 through to Planetoktonos, the Greek four-piece has released consistent quality. Dephosphorus has self labelled themselves Astrogrind, and while there are psychedelic and cosmic synths, the nine tracks on Planetoktonos and their previous works do not come across to me as grind in the vein of Napalm Death or even Pig Destroyer.

Planetoktonos is furious though. Roughly translating to planetkiller, the Greeks are not shy or hesitant to place the flag in the ground. The state of the planet is not a unique topic within extreme metal, but Dephosphorus do it their way, and here it is all sung in Greek and it sounds vital and important.

Dephosphorus sound like a menacing early Mastodon with the energy and vitality of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch and Knut. Occasionally, there are elements of Death Metal and Black Metal also. It is an interesting style, which has been consistent throughout their discography.

The vocals of Panos Agoros are aggressive. He is like a rabid dog and it rarely wavers throughout the 28 minute duration of Planetoktonos. I can picture him at the edge of a cliff, shouting at a world being torn in two. Yes, it has been done a lot recently, but you still need to do it well, and Dephosphorus do that. Panos has sung in English before, and I would have liked a bit of variation with that here as well, especially as the central topic is certainly a mainstream issue, and worthy of picking apart. That said, you can hear the passion in the delivery, and that is all you ned to form your own narrative.

Planetoktonos is riff city. The guitars offer variation, and that is exciting, regularly shifting tone and style, jagged into chugs and delving into areas that allow the cosmic and psychedelic synths to add depth to the mix. It is all over very quickly, which is a sign of good songwriting. Although, it is  very consistent sounding album, you never feel lost or bored - I will use the word vital again. For a band into their second decade, they do not sound old or tired, far from it.

The production and mastering has been handled competently. The synths do not overpower the mix, which could have been easy to do if they were not so experienced. Occasionally the mix can feel claustrophobic, but it is intentional. The planet is crowded, and anything else would have sounded out of place. Likewise, there are no expansive dynamics or large spaces to gather your breath. Planetoktonos is intentionally urgent.

A killer addition to the already killer discography of Desphosphorus.