TOOThGRINDER

Phantom Amour

SPINEFARM New Jersey’s progressive metallers expand their palette

Having shattered expectations with 2015’s exemplary Nocturnal

Masquerade, Toothgrinder have dramatically augmented their creative palette on this impossible-to-pigeonhole fulllength. Its 13 tracks burst with taut aggression and expansive catharsis; from classic rock, to prog-metal and experimental defiance, Phantom Amour is a melting pot of the fresh and the feral. HVY ’s opening salvo of dissonant riffing and anthemic vocals, the social commentary of Red that leads into simple yet hypnotic choruses and polyrhythmic leads and the Polaris-era Tesseract-meets-nu metal mix of the title track all bleed with genrehopping beauty. The acerbic injections prove as engaging as the more emotional moments on the album, particularly when the primal roars of Adenium kick in, but Snow holds its own, too, with its strained cries and brooding melodic crescendos. If you enjoy music that’s entirely unpredictable, be prepared to get carried away. FOR FANS OF: THE CONTORTIONIST, TESSERACT, BTBAM

SOPHIE MAUGHAN