La casa fantom have a name that sounds like it should belong to a bad Spanish horror movie and a syrupy, earthen sound that sits comfortably between the arty end of the punk spectrum (think Botch, Refused and Fugazi rather than the sex pistols) and the rampant misanthropy of black metal. A band whose members live in a collective somewhere within the heart of the Norwegian woods (presumably not the part The Beatles visited) in tree houses; who make their own amplifiers and equipment and who supply their latest album “Selection by elimination” in a handmade cardboard sleeve that is both simple and impressive , La Casa Fantom are the real deal – a home-made punk band writ large who have not only the attitude but the talent to back up their ethics and who, over the course of a shockingly brief 29 minutes, take you on a journey to the heart of their world far more effectively than any film crew could.
Not ones to mess about, la Casa Fantom hit hard and fast with a short, bass-heavy blast of primal punk fury which offers a slightly misleading view of what the band are trying to do. A cataclysmic blast of abrasive sound, ‘Ut A Begrave Drommen Min’ is a vicious animal hell-bent on sandpapering the very flesh from your bones and while it’s brief, the lull that follows it comes as a sweet relief such are the levels of intensity on display. Having comprehensively rearranged your senses ‘Dagen Jeg Dor’ is a slower yet similarly heavy assault on the senses, but the real surprise arrives in the form of track three, ‘Sovngjenger’ which still maintains an aggressive stance but which also houses a contemplative side that compliments the previous two tracks but which offers a far greater depth and dynamic to the band’s sound. It is this diversity that raises the band significantly above the average and hints at an exceptional song-writing talent behind the feral blasts of distortion. ‘Golden promise’ is also a more reflective beast with a soft opening giving way to a massed vocal harmony and droney, doom-style guitars to immense effect. It is certainly a highlight of the album as it offers up a melodic aspect to the band whilst still retaining that glorious heaviness that make the band so special. As the guitars buzz and the music surrounds you, you can’t help but reflect on the fact that the band were trying to bash your skull in just a few songs before while now they are wrapping you in a distortion-laden cloak and urging you to rest your weary head. It’s a hard trick to pull off without sounding somewhat disparate but the album never sounds anything less than cohesive and the band have clearly worked on creating an album which flows beautifully from one track to the next.
The forthright ‘shut up’ does away with the ambience and comes storming out of the gate with a screamed vocal and complicated riff that sees the band edge more in the direction of Botch with an awkward time signature and short run time. Equally forthright is ‘Ou est le brie’ which is every bit as nuts as its title (although as SonicAbuse’s self-appointed lord of cheese I love it) and almost as short as indulging in spot of the aforementioned dairy product. The title track, on the other hand, is about as far away from any sort of curdled-milk product as you could possibly get, with a crushing central riff hinting at more than a passing love of doom in the ranks of the band and a vocal that is so raw it’s painful to listen to. It’s another album highlight and once again you have to admire the skill of a band who can put two songs, so completely different, next to each other and not make it sound like a half-assed compilation album. Offering a sensible solution to the question of how best to use the Bible, ‘smoking holy books’ is a vicious, noisy blast of high-octane punk/metal/noise that condenses a near insurmountable amount of rage in to 40 seconds before ‘I surrender’ closes the album in a blizzard of guitars and multi-tracked vocal harmonies that sounds simply astonishing. Overwhelmingly loud, with a melody that makes you ache inside and drums that pour out of the speakers like a tsunami, it is a work of astounding genius from a band I have not had the good fortune to encounter before.
At less than thirty minutes, it is astonishing how much the band have managed to cram into the disc with more ideas than many acts manage on an disc three times the length and the phrase ‘quality, not quantity’ has never been more apt than here. While most press releases are guilty of the most outrageous hyperbole, La Casa Fantom really do conjure up the spirit of their environment and their DIY ethic is nothing but commendable. Certainly not a big name act then, but then since when was that a guarantee of quality? If you only spend your money on one unknown purchase this year let it be the astonishing work of art – it’s a truly stunning release that has gummed up my CD player for days and will undoubtedly continue to do so, this is a strong candidate for one of my top ten albums of the year.
Find out more at http://www.lacasafantom.com
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