Phase Reverse
Phase III: Youniverse
Rock Of Angels Records
2015
Greek southern/heavy/stoner rock band Phase Reverse returns to action with their third full length album (the second containing the same 4-member line-up). After “Phase Reverse” (2009, self-financed – 2011, Aural Music) and “Phase II: And Man Created God” (2013, The Leaders), it was time for “Phase III: Youniverse”. The recipe pretty much remains the same once again, a few Monster Magnet-like psychedelic trips, AC/DC-influenced rock n’roll riffing, heavy Black Label Society-meets-Dimebag Darrel guitar work and a general Black Sabbath vibe throughout. I know this all sounds pretty awesome, right? The problem is that you get a feeling you’ve heard it all before.
The album begins with “Downfall”, which begins with a sweet and yet somewhat complex acoustic guitar intro. I kinda wished the rest of the album carried on like that. Sadly, it doesn’t. Instead, we get the same sort of outdated, overplayed and blunt stoner/heavy rock that, in truth to be told, Phase Reverse and most of the Greek bands have been playing like this for years. Sometimes I wonder what’s the point of releasing a new album if it sounds pretty much identical to the previous one. In other words, I don’t know about the “Phase III” part of the record’s name. To be fair, there are a few nice touches here and there, like the instrumental track “Moiroloi”, which translates to “lament” and is something like an electric guitar take on the traditional music of Ipiros and the Greek islands. But apart from that, everything else is totally predictable.
This doesn’t of course mean it’s not good. After all “Phase III: Youniverse” includes 12 perfectly fine tracks that are in no way unpleasant. It just doesn’t stand out. You have some nice Zakk Wylde-ish guitar riffs, which alas you feel you’ve heard a million times before. The vocals are also not bad; they’re actually pretty tight, but nothing to write home about. As for the rhythm section, their groove is kept to a minimum.
In general, everything in this album is constantly kept in a minimum. I found myself saying “that was an alright track” after every song. But not once saying “that was a f@cking awesome one”. The only exception is “Time Reverses Time”, the second to last track here, which I personally quite liked and is the only song for which made me push the repeat button.
The album begins with “Downfall”, which begins with a sweet and yet somewhat complex acoustic guitar intro. I kinda wished the rest of the album carried on like that. Sadly, it doesn’t. Instead, we get the same sort of outdated, overplayed and blunt stoner/heavy rock that, in truth to be told, Phase Reverse and most of the Greek bands have been playing like this for years. Sometimes I wonder what’s the point of releasing a new album if it sounds pretty much identical to the previous one. In other words, I don’t know about the “Phase III” part of the record’s name. To be fair, there are a few nice touches here and there, like the instrumental track “Moiroloi”, which translates to “lament” and is something like an electric guitar take on the traditional music of Ipiros and the Greek islands. But apart from that, everything else is totally predictable.
This doesn’t of course mean it’s not good. After all “Phase III: Youniverse” includes 12 perfectly fine tracks that are in no way unpleasant. It just doesn’t stand out. You have some nice Zakk Wylde-ish guitar riffs, which alas you feel you’ve heard a million times before. The vocals are also not bad; they’re actually pretty tight, but nothing to write home about. As for the rhythm section, their groove is kept to a minimum.
In general, everything in this album is constantly kept in a minimum. I found myself saying “that was an alright track” after every song. But not once saying “that was a f@cking awesome one”. The only exception is “Time Reverses Time”, the second to last track here, which I personally quite liked and is the only song for which made me push the repeat button.