APOCÆLYPSE 'Fænix'

APOCÆLYPSE
Fænix
Independent

Crushing modern metal!
Cinematic atmosphere!
Thought-provoking themes!
Challenging font symbols!

Created and fronted by veteran guitarist Ira Black (VIO-LENCE, METAL CHURCH, I AM MORBID, LIZZY BORDEN, WESTFIELD MASSACRE), APOCÆLYPSE represents a bold new chapter in his career. Stepping beyond his celebrated role as a guitarist, Black takes center stage as vocalist, songwriter, and creative architect, delivering a unique sound that brings forth all of the three aforementioned elements into a sonic heavy gathering. And speaking of gatherings, APOCÆLYPSE features a solid lineup of well-established musicians who fulfill much of the modern metal element of their sound. Among them are his son, guitarist Ira Black IV, whose classical training and technical prowess bring a unique dynamic to the band’s sound. Rounding out the lineup are bassist Matt Snell (formerly of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) and drummer Lonny Pasillas (formerly of DEADSETT and KILL DEVIL HILL). Together, the group blends decades of experience with a forward-thinking approach, crafting modern metal that is both crushingly heavy and ambitiously expansive. And for their upcoming debut album titled Fænix (pronounced, obviously, as “phoenix”), that’s exactly the flight pattern that APOCÆLYPSE have chartered out thus far in the guise of two early lead-off singles. “INTELL-I-GENTS”, despite the overly try hard-sounding title, delivers a strong impact thanks to the powerful production/mixing skills of Kane Churko (OZZY, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DISTURBED), who shapes the sound that balances crushing heaviness with contemporary clarity and precision. The song was then mastered by Maor Appelbaum (ROB HALFORD, TESTAMENT, SABATON), whose expert touch brings additional depth, power, and polish to the final mix, ensuring “INTELL-I-GENTS” hits with maximum impact. The second single “Black Box” – a deeply personal song described by Ira as “a journey into my own mind…it holds the evidence of everything that went wrong, but also the key to understanding how I survived” – also  delivers a similar-sounding range of heavy firepower but showcases both Black and Black IV’s raw-sounding playing while incorporating more industrial-sounding influences in the music – and these are only two of the songs from Fænix that are already available as individual singles thus far with the intention of releasing more singles from the ten-song album over time. 

Indeed, while Fænix’s two breakout singles just happen to be the first two songs on the album, they’re just the cusp of the album overall. “Love To Hate” and “Hate Response” continue the momentum and energy while solidifying Ira’s newfound frontman skills. But it’s on tracks such as “The American Way” and “Mind’s Eye” that bear Ira’s impeccable gritty signature vocal range; indeed, how neither of these songs ever found their way on the last couple of LIZZY BORDEN or METAL CHURCH albums he’s played on is baffling as they resonate equal amounts of fury and passion. Both Matt Snell and Larry Pasillas’ rhythm section skills also fill out the music perfectly thanks to Snell’s firm-sounding bass and occasional backing hardcore-sounding vocal contributions – “Gravity Game” and the aforementioned “The American Way” and “Mind’s Eye” also harken back to FFDP’s early years –and also Pasillas’ frantic drumming, which is the sound of several dozen landmines set side by side being activated by a simultaneous trigger. Ironically enough, with the amount of maximum firepower that Fænix boasts and given its overall message of human adversity, the album’s one sole flaw could be also using more than enough required sound effects in parts where they don’t really add much effect as expected, particularly on the title track and “The Lamb/The Goat” where Ira’s vocals carry both songs alone just fine without much need for extra enhancement. Otherwise, for both a debut effort and a debut attempt as a frontman, Fænix, for its minor flaws, is nowhere near the end of the world for APOCÆLYPSE but rather the beginning of a new musical chapter for its members involved in the album’s delivery. 
Plus, thanks to TOOL, we all got used to typing out Ænimain the same manner 30 years ago.

4.5 Out Of 5.0

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