The Obelisk Radio Add of the Week: Phant, The Octophant Pt. 1
It shouldn’t come as too much of a shock that newcomer Swedish trio Phant, who formed late in 2012, would draw some measure of influence from the more beastly reams of metal on their debut EP, The Octophant Pt. 1, but it’s what they do with the influence that makes the four-song release such a fascinating listen. Sure, yeah, they’ve got an octopus combined with an elephant in some Sci-Fi Channel-esque horror, and big riffs and thick tones pervade from guitarist Anton Berglind and bassist Jesper Sundström set to grand crash from Elias Sundberg, but with loosely post-metallic vocal tradeoffs from Berglind and Sundström (shades of Godflesh early on) that accompany heavy rock groove on “Odyssey” and the ambient, 11-minute “Cúrsa Imbhualadh” which follows, Phant show some sonic diversity on their premiere outing that finds them less adherent to genre than it at first seems. Or at very least, less adherent to one side of that genre or another.
Over the course of the four tracks on The Octophant Pt. 1, the three-piece run a gamut of aggression, and while it’s not necessarily the scope of the release that makes it so impressive — though they’re dynamic and that’s generally better than the alternative — it’s the fluidity of their shifts that impresses, particularly from a new band. Whether it’s a 
second layer of heavier guitar kicking in on “End of Daonnachta,” the blown-out stomp that arises as that song hits its lumbering apex, or the strange, apocalyptic and foreboding ending the samples in “Outro Pt. 1” give as they finish the release — possibly giving some hint at what the next installment of The Octophant might hold —Phant are able to create a flow within and between their songs that, if it’s a sign of things to come in terms of their songwriting, bodes remarkably well.
Still, whatever nuance they do or don’t bring to the style as a new band, there’s little question the EP’s strengths lie in Phant‘s aural heft. Maybe it’ll seem like a contradiction, then, that “Cúrsa Imbhualadh” should be the standout moment, but frankly, with a linear build playing out over the course of 11:23, there was little doubt it was going to be. As they continue to develop a sense of patience, I wouldn’t be surprised to find more of the airy heavy psych/post-rock guitar at the fore, but especially as a first release, The Octophant Pt. 1 demonstrates ambition and a hold on aesthetic, and I’m not about to ask more of it than that. I’ll be interested to hear where Pt. 2 takes them.
Phant‘s The Octophant Pt. 1 is now streaming as part of the playlist for The Obelisk Radio. You can hear it there or grab a free download off the Bandcamp player below.
