One Listen Review
1st Listen 16 Sept 26
Reviewed 18 Sept 26
Phlefonyaar – Encyclopaedia Sociopathica
Self-Released
Released 18 Sept 26
Is Encyclopaedia Sociopathica the 3rd album by violent sludge duo Phlefonyaar or is it their 3rd EP? Frankly, I don’t care! This is absolutely excellent!
Six tracks spread over a measly 21 ½ minutes doesn’t seem to give our boys enough time. But it does. Encyclopaedia Sociopathica is dank, it is dirty and it oozes filth across each and every track!
‘The Lions Gone Walkin’’ is aggressive from the outset. It drips heaviness, with the vocals sounding similar to the late, great LG Petrov. Immediately following is ‘The Lightning Rod Seller’, with its riffs dripping with grime and dirt. It flew by and then all of a sudden, you realise that your head has not stopped nodding yet.
Two tracks in, and Phlefonyaar have grabbed me. I am sat, helpless, in its power as ‘The Last Funeral in Town’ arrives. Here, the sludge is supplemented with a bit of death metal,
reminiscent of Entombed, but far more manky! The guitar tone impresses here. Shortest track, The Curse of the Blackditch Hollow’, arrives with the slimiest guitar yet. Still, the head has not stopped nodding along.
‘Rust in the Prayer Jar’ features the best drumming yet. Dominant, yet letting the track breathe, it makes you want to have a wash after it ends. But there is no time, as closing track, ‘The Windows Lantern Swings’ begins. Slightly slower than the rest, this song is perhaps the best yet. My notes simply say, ‘I want to listen to this again’.
And that is the joy of Encyclopaedia Sociopathica, it demands you listen to it. It just over 21 minutes long. There are sludge albums out their triple its length that do not grab your attention with the consummate ease Phlefonyaar manage.
Encyclopaedia Sociopathica is short, it is aggressive and it is absolutely superb!
The DevilsHorns 
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