Cognizance are a death metal band from the UK and this is their third album.
2021’s Upheaval was a quality record, so I have been looking forward to Phantazein. I’ve enjoyed Cognizance since their debut EP Inquisition way back in 2013, and it’s been great to see them develop.
Phantazein delivers a 41-minute death metal album of brute force and sophisticated intricacy. This is a technical brand of death metal, one that uses its technicality to craft a foundation of complex depth for Cognizance to build upon. These structures house unusually emotive content for death metal, making Phantazein stand out. Another aspect that makes this album stand out is the production, which simply sounds fantastic.
Surgical intensity and considered groove are enriched by engaging melodies and emotive riffs. Cognizance use atmosphere well across the album, weaving it into and around the central aggression, elevating the material to achieve a fine balance between brutality and feeling. For me, this balance defines Phantazein. The well-written songs combine atmospheric feeling with death metal devastation nicely. Additionally, there’s an otherworldly quality to many of the melodies and moods on Phantazein that I find hard to define, but I just know it’s there. Parts of this record are quite transportive, which is definitely not something that’s typical in death metal.
Ultimately Phantazein is an album that has plenty to explore for fans of death metal. It’s accessible without losing the genre’s aggression, and brutally heavy, while cultivating atmosphere and depth of feeling that’s remarkable. Cognizance’s new record is a quality cut of death metal, and I recommend you to spend much time with it if you’re a fan of the style.
Wonderbox Metal 