Dephosphorus - Planetoktonos (2025)

It's great to be able to listen to a new Dephosphorus album, five years after the previous one. As you can guess, Planetoktonos continues the cosmic theme of the band, but also explore it further with some sc-fi atmospheric moments (is it guitar effects, analog synths, samples? all of that?). But don't expect some super long progressive tracks, as they always do, Dephosphorus manage to integrate this atmospheric element into short and raging songs blending black, death metal and grind. Good stuff, as expected.

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Best of 2020 : Death, black, hardcore & sludge

 Here are my 10 favourite death metal, black metal, hardcore and sludge albums released in 2020. Alphabetical order. Click on the name to go to the review.

Cytotoxin - Nuklearth

 

Dephosphorus - Sublimation

 

Dropdead - Dropdead 

Eye Flys - Tub of Lard

Fange - Pudeur

Ils - Curse

 

Imperial Triumphant- Alphaville

Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æquiizoiikum

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi

Skeletal Remains - The Entombment of Chaos

 

 

 

Dephosphorus - Sublimation (2020)

Dephosphorus is a band that, at every time of its evolution, had an extra something, a great attention to details and mastery over what they do (the thundering and especially good drums parts in Sublimation is a great example of that. Riffs are very good as well, and you can recognize instantly Panos vocals), and also offering something different. While still firmly rooted in the most lethal black/death Sublimation is maybe also where they expand the most their "cosmic" atmospheres that could remind a bit Neurosis but in short songs filled with blast beats, even if sometimes the pace slows down. Every tracks bring something different, new subtleties. Sublimation is another excellent album from Dephosphorus deepening and polishing further their unique style. I also recommend their new live cassette (recorded during the Impossible Orbits tour), quality stuff.

The BC page.

 

Dephosphorus - Impossible Orbits (2017)

Impossible Orbits is the new album from Dephosphorus. Following two very ambitious and more "progressive" albums (the mysterious "Night Sky Transform", still my favourite one, and the double one "Ravenous Solemnity" that covered the wide spectrum of Dephosphorus music) Impossible Orbits sounds like a return to something more straightforward and less complex. You'll still find the different elements that makes the bands music (a mix of grind, black metal, Slayer and Neurosis we could say) and its uniqueness, but this time the focus is on the most aggressive side of the band personnality, more thrash/black/grind, shorter songs, less post-metal/atmospheric elements. Is it a successfull move? Well, it sure succeeds in making another great album, with many great moments and memorable songs, and even though the songwriting feels condensed and maybe simplified, still each song manages to have it's own specificity, like is usual with Dephosphorus. It also succeeds in making a different kind of album, avoiding repetition. Yet, even though I enjoy listening to Impossible Orbits, I think most of the times I'll prefer going back to their older stuff. Very worthy of your time anyway. excellent stuff again.

The Bandcamp page.

Dephosphorus - Ravenous solemnity (2014)

Dephosphorus is a band that likes to surprise and we are used to hear them evolve, adding new elements, enriching and refining their sound release after release (see HERE the different reviews and interviews related to them in Blasting days). when I read that they were releasing a double LP I thought that a very ambitious, more complex and progressive album was on the way. But with Ravenous solemnity i've been surprised to, well...not been surprised that much this time. it's more a subtle maturation than a new evolution or experiments. maybe it will be for next time. anyway it's ok because it's another really good, finely crafted and finely executed, album. the songs are shorter and I'd say more straighforward than in Night sky transform and at the same time the grind elements are again less present than it was in Axiom. we could say that most of the time it could be described as a mix of dark and raging hardcore and black metal with some melodic and epic touches. with really good and personnal vocals, good and creative riffing, and the new drummer is doing good as well. that's what I'm saying for the moment, but I suppose that, like it was with their other releases, after some more listen I will discover new subtilites in the songs and in the overall atmosphere of the album. anyway I highly recommend you try it and make your own opinion it sure will be worth it.

The BC page.



 

Monomaniac vol 2&3 (2013)

with many compilations I skip most of the songs after listening to half of it. but there's no chance I'll do that with the vol 2&3 (released together on one LP) of the Monomaniac series.
the brilliant idea of the Monomaniac concept is that the songs must be less or around 1 minutes (in this one the longer is 1min 40sec), so the bands have to write songs that goes straight to the point, no useless intro bullshit , only stuff that grips you immediately.  another element of the Monomaniac series is that it features only previously unrealeased songs so you don't know it already even if you know the band. what also makes the excellence of these comps is the quality of the bands, Panos Agoros, the man behind Blastbeat Mailmurder productions and the Monomaniac series (among other BBMM releases), clearly knows the extreme metal underground and select the finest bands from Greece and other countries, mostly Black, death, grind, and what is in between and around. the bands on the 2 & 3 Monomaniac volumes are the following :

WITCHRIST, MONOMAKH, SKULLSHITTER, NOCTURNAL VOMIT, NADIWRATH, END, HAAPOJA, DEPHOSPHORUS, OMEGA MONOLITH, BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA, WAKE, PROGRESS OF INHUMANITY, GODS OF CHAOS, MUTANT SUPREMACY, RAVENCULT, BURIAL HORDES, WEREGOAT, DODSFERD, NECROSADIST.

check this on its Bandcamp page.

 it's on my "heavy rotation" list, as well as the releases of the bands I discovered or rediscovered thanks to it. no need to say it's highly recommended stuff.


ps : Here's the interview we did with Panos Agoros about the first Monomaniac volume, with also the link to my review of it.

Dephosphorus - Night Sky Transform (2012)

Many people were awaiting this first Dephsphorus LP (called Night Sky Transform and released this august on vinyl by 7 degrees records. Also available as digital download). Because we knew with Axiom in 2011, and more recently with the splits with Wake and with Great falls, that this Greek band offers some high quality extreme metal and has something like a "supplément d'âme". Dephosphorus music escapes labels but I would describe it as a blend of something like Norwegian and French black metal for the main part but with also influences from Slayer (some riffs and some drumming parts), post-hardcore, crustgrind and noise rock. The vocals, going from black/death to powerviolence are great, with diversity and a good rhythm (there are also spoken parts on two songs and a part by Ryan Lipsky from Unearthly trance). Same can be said about the guitar and drumming parts :  quality, diversity and personality. The songs are cleverly crafted and efficiently played. The lyrics, like on the previous records, are different from most metal bands, the issues covered are more "spiritual", about the universe, humanity etc. The progression since Axiom is mostly in the production which clearly improved and in some songs adding more diversity (some slower, atmospheric, "post" parts, the spoken parts, etc,. for ex the song called The Fermi paradox).

I was expecting something very good from Dephosphorus and I'm happy to say that I'm not disappointed.

Listen to it and make your own opinion on their Bandcamp page.

Panos & Thanos from from Dephosphorus answered to a few questions I asked them about Night sky transform, read it below. You can also read this other interview, with the same Panos, that we did in March (going with a review of Axiom, their first record).

-how would you describe the move from Axiom to Night sky transform, for the band and for the music ?

Thanos: To me it’s a natural progression and yet, I know that a lot of people cannot get it. I think the fact that we had to record everything in a small period of time, made it sound more raw and tight and considering it as a whole, it works in the end. We focused this time more in the atmosphere of the songs along with the roughness of the material. As the time goes by we become tighter as a musical trio, so I assume this works well for the transition.

-how was Night sky transform recorded and produced?

Thanos: We recorded in almost 9 days pretty much everything at Northside Studio (http://www.northside.gr) of our friend’s Miltos Schimatariotis. While we didn’t have much time to experiment more with alternate sounds and techniques, the studio had this essential cosy atmosphere which enabled us to work harder, without having to think about the drawbacks. Back at this time I was serving my military service, so it took some time to mix the recording but Miltos did an exceptional job and found the appropriate ‘color’ for the album, so all kudos to him. We financed the recording, mixing and mastering of the album along with the artwork and 7 Degrees Records printed the wax. Production is also who is financing for the album, so I guess that makes us the producers.

-one thing new in Night sky transform is the slower parts with spoken words. Was the purpose to give, with The Fermi paradox, a kind of “breathing space” in the middle of the album and with Aurora to end the album on a mysterious note?

Panos: It’s not something that we plan. It’s the music that takes us there. We’ve been experimenting with clean vocals and spoken words since our early days before any of the “Axiom” songs were written, back when me and Thanos were doing home demos on our own without a drummer.

The way it goes is that when a new song’s music is (semi-) ready, I browse through my notepads and start figuring out which  lyrics and vocal lines will fit. From time to time a clean vocal line will occur in my mind and then I try it out. If it blends well with the music, its dynamics and atmosphere, I hold on to it.

In one instance, for the song “Stargazing & Violence” (our side of the split-7”EP with Great Falls), the clean vocal line and its lyrics were there before I figured out the rest…

Concerning the specific songs that you mention, “The Fermi Paradox” is a song that was written by jamming and being a doomy noise rock track, it is in a different register than the rest of our stuff. So, it was obvious that it needed another approach for its vocals and it was Thanos that sung it.

“Aurora” is the album’s closing track. Even when we first rehearsed it, its ritualistic, mystical atmosphere was there and it inspired me to add some clean vocals additionally to the screams. At that early point we didn’t even know it would close the album, so it fits with  what I described earlier: the music and Dephosphorus’ spirit takes us into places.

-some parts, for ex the beginning of Identifying the encapsulator, reminds me of Slayer (some riffs and drumming), is it an influence for you?

Thanos: I can understand the comment, but to me it’s more Arkangel than Slayer! But I can see your point. This song is a combination of Arkangel meets Immolation meets Helmet, so putting everything on the blender you may end up with ‘Identifying the Encapsulator’… Nothing was planned actually, things like that sometimes just happen.

-seems to me that the parts with a “rock” feel, of the noise, post or whatever variety (like in the song Night sky transform), which were already present in Axiom, are now more developed. Do you think it is because more diversity in the songwriting allowed more opportunity for the different musical style you like to shine through the songs?

Thanos: I think it has more to do with the freedom we feel each time we build a song. When we feel it should be like ‘The Fermi Paradox’ or like ‘Aurora’, there is not much to think about it actually. We never spend time thinking if a particular noise rock riff should be there or not. It’s there, so we spend more time to develop it. I think diversity is essential and significant for us, since the music we write is the music we would like to hear from our favorite band, so based on this I spend more time in songwriting with this diversity thing in mind, but without ever letting it being a goal. I think that if it was planned, it would lack this rawness you can feel on the songs.

-looks like you really pay attention to the lyrics and the artwork, as parts of the general atmosphere and meaning you want to push forward with your music. A few words about that?

Panos: Dephosphorus is a concept band. It always was - we started it out as such together with Thanos. The music and the concept/lyrics/aesthetics are intertwined and inseparable. Our ambition is to take you on a trip unlike everything you experienced before, to blow your mind and to excite your imagination. Listen to the music, contemplate the artwork, read the lyrics. Find out if our craft does it for you.

-a few words about the Ryan Lipynsky featuring?

Panos: We’ve been in touch with Ryan for a few years, being early Unearthly Trance enthusiasts and huge Thralldom (R.I.P.) fans. When “Unconscious Excursion” was wrapped up very spontaneously at the studio after only a few takes and without prior rehearsing, it was obvious that it was our way of paying tribute to both bands. In particular, Thanos’ wrote his guitar parts with Ryan’s playing in mind, and he told me straight from the beginning “Dude, it would be cool if we could get Ryan sing on this one”. I was like “Oh man, I wish he would but he’s probably too busy to care doing it”.

After we’ve had the same dialogue for a few times, eventually I thought “Oh fuck it!” and like you French guys say “Qui ne demande rien, n’a rien” (“Whoever demands nothing, gets nothing”). So, I dropped an email to Ryan with the track attached. He got back to me within minutes saying he wanted to do it. And not only he did sing, but he has also plunged into our concept writing the lyrics, and has also played a stellar guitar solo! His contribution has added extra mystical vibes and cosmic aura to the album. All hails to him for that! Make sure you check out his latest works with The Howling Wind and Serpentine Path. Killer stuff!

-now, what is next for Dephosphorus?

Panos: We will release within the next few months both “Night Sky Transform” and “Axiom” on cassette format. We will also consider any interesting offers for CD editions.

On the astral front, we’re working on new, darker material. We have in mind a few different ideas that we want to try out this time. Stay tuned!

-something else to say?

Panos: Thanks so much for the ongoing support through your blogzine, it is appreciated!

“Night Sky Transform” is out on vinyl through 7 Degrees Records. We will have our own copies of the  LP very soon, as well as new t-shirts. You can listen to the full album and buy its digital version via http://dephosphorus.bandcamp.com. If you’re into social notworking, make sure you connect with us at www.facebook.com/dephosphorus.

And never forget: we’re all made out of stardust…

Dephosphorus/Wake split 7''EP

Both bands featured on this split made a great impresion in 2011, Dephsphorus with Axiom (see review Here) and Wake with Leeches (see review Here). So I had great expectations for it and I'm glad to say that it's a new success for both bands. 6 songs, 3 for each band, all killer, no filler. Prepare for a non stop blastbeats and riffing feast!

The 3 Dephosphorus songs are a really interesting and crushing mix of black metal, grind and crust and the songwriting is really good so it really makes songs, with a distinct Dephosphorus identity and atmosphere, and not a hodgepodge of different elements. Unit is a fast song with an almost slayeresque intensity but keeping the Dephosphorus sound and complexity. the two other songs are more midtempo but also really good. If you want to know more about Dephosphorus (and you really should!) I suggest you read the interview with their singer Panos Agoros that I did last month, Here (below the review for Axiom).

and Here is the BC page for the coming Dephosphorus full lenght (only two songs for the moment).

The songs by Wake are more straightforward, with a less complex songwriting, but they have a cool old school grind/punk vibe, especially Veil of Odin that ends the split.

I'm asking Wake for a written interview, so keep an eye on this post...

The split is released by 7 degrees records

Dephosphorus

Axiom, the first release by the greek band Dephosphorus was among the best discoveries from the underground in 2011.The music they play is an interesting combination of elements coming from different syles, mostly extreme music but not only, and the result is a unique balance beetween blackened grind/punk agression and eerie melodies and atmospherses. But Dephosphorus music escapes any labelling so if you want to figure out how it sounds just listen to it! highly recommended listening!

for exemple on their website or bandcamp page (you'll also find there two songs from their coming LP!).

I asked Panos Agoros, singer of Dephosphorus, some questions to learn more about the band, about Axiom, their future releases, etc., as you'll see, not only the music is unique, but also the lyrics, artworks, etc, the whole concept of the band is unique for an extreme band like Dephosphorus. Panos kindly and thoughtfully explained to me (and you!) what the band is all about (among other interesting things). read it below!

-can you present the band for those not knowing you yet?

Panos: We are Dephosphorus, hailing from Athens-Greece. We’ve been formed in summer 2008 by me (vocals/lyrics) and Thanos (guitars/bass/songwriting) after the dissolution of our previous band, Straighthate. After spending a year demoing material and forging our style, we’ve been joined by longtime comrade and Injekting Khaos member Nikos on drums. We’ve released our debut mini-album “Axiom” as a gorgeous gatefold vinyl last summer via german vinyl-only grind label 7 Degrees Records. “Axiom” is also available as a free download from our website.

-I think you manage to keep a balance between dark strange melodies/atmospheres and rawness and agressivity, is it something you try to achieve intentionally?

Panos: Of corpse! This is what Dephosphorus is all about. Delivering blackened, aggressive, spiritual and eerie music. Our ambition is to transport you to a realm beyond our earthly realities, yet not completely disconnected from them.

-if I describe your music as an original mix of different extreme music styles with mainly elements of grind/crustpunk and black metal would you agree?

Panos: Sure. Yet there’s more to it. Thanos’ songwriting is also influenced by noise rock, post-hardcore, thrash/death metal, folk music, noise/experimental, just to name a few music genres.

-how are Dephosphorus song’s written?

Panos: Until now the way we proceeded was the following. Thanos had submitted a pool of demos to the rest of us, and each time we wanted to write a new song, Nikos chose whatever track he fancied more. Then they would start working on it at the rehearsal room, and while this was happening I would be browsing my notepads trying to figure which lyrics would fit. When the music of the song would be more or less ready, I would join trying out different vocal lines, and usually at the end of a couple of hours of rehearsal we would have a first version ready that we would commit onto tape using our own equipment.

-it seems to me that the lyrics focus on about metaphysical subjects, can you tell us more about that ? I guess the artwork of Axiom is link to the lyrics isn’t it? And what does the name of the band means?

Panos: The name of the band designates a cosmic entity which is the central point of our concept. The initial idea about the name came from the working title of a Leviathan song, “Phosphoros”. We liked it very much because of how  it sounded, and because of its meaning (“bringer of a light”). It is also the name of a chemical compound, and since our concept has scientific afinities, it made sense to chose it. When we realized it was already taken we did a bit of research and came across “Diphosphorus” which is an allotrope of “Phosphoros”, aka a diatomic version in which it also exists. Voilà!

Our lyrics and concept are allegoric and metaphorical. They deal with the search for the meaning of life and of creation. Dephosphorus is scanning the cosmos for allies in order to pierce its mysteries. When some civilizations enter in contact with Dephosphorus, chaos and turmoil are ensuing. As a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip put it perfectly: “-If people sat outside and looked at the stars each, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently. –How so? –Well, when you look into infinity, you realize that there are more important things than what people do all day.”

The artwork has been crafted by our friends Viral Graphics (www.facebook.com/viral.graphics) who are 100% into our concept and have similar perception and worldviews than we do. Our music, lyrics/concept and artwork are intertwined and are not to be considered separately.

-your previous grind band Straighthate was more like “classical” grind with lyrics about social concerns. How do you explain your move from Straighthate to Dephosphorus?

Panos: Straighthate was indeed less radical musically and conceptually, but I wouldn’t say it was classic grind either. It had some of the diverse influences that we also have in Dephosphorus albeit in more embryonic form: noise rock, post-hardcore, black/death…

When we decided to move on after Straighthate, we wanted to start a band more challenging and exciting, both musically and artistically. We figured out straight from the beginning that it would be a band based on a concept. Personally, at this point I needed an outlet where I could unleash my imagination and combine two parts of myself. The adult who’s thinking about the possibilities of life and about human existence, and the science fiction boy who grew up in the 80’s with Isaac Asimov and Battlestar Galactica…

-can you tell us more about the future split with Wake?

Panos: Our label, 7 Degrees Records, put us in touch with labelmates Wake from Canada (http://wakegrind.com/). They are an excellent grinding hardcore band, with devastating music and inspiring, caustic lyrics. They had 3 tracks to offer for a split-EP, so did we. It was a nobrainer that it would be a killer move to join forces for a split release, so with the support and encouragement of 7DR we made it happen. As we speak the wax is getting pressed at the factory. It will come with a poster insert sporting – once again – awe inspring artwork by Viral Graphics. Viral had to accomplish the challenging task of combining our stellar concept with Wake’s sociopolitical lyrics into a single coherent vision, and that’s what they did in a tour de force of epic, monumental artwork. Our tracks will also be available in a digital form. Brace yourselves!

-I also read on Grind and punishment that an LP called Night sky transform is coming, can you tell us more about it? Is it gonna be a move towards more grinding dark psychedelia?

Panos: You put it into words perfectly, indeed this is exactly what you’ll get! All three of us feel that all those years spent in the music scene came down to this. We consider “Night Sky Transform” to be our masterpiece. We hope that the underground audience will embrace it as they did with “Axiom”, as its valiant successor. Even if they don’t, it is a work extremely important to  us. A collective pilgrimage and a wonderful journey…

I don’t want to spill the beans too much. It is a different approach to our sound, yet there is still a sense of continuity. If you take a listen to the two tracks off “Night Sky Transform”, “Uncharted” and “Cold Omen”, streaming at our bandcamp page (http://dephosphorus.bandcamp.com) you’ll get a good idea where the album will be starting from. The rest of the trip will be for you to discover in a few months from now. It is going to be released as a special vinyl edition by 7 Degrees Records, and will also be available as a digital download. We’re also considering the cassette format - we’ve yet to receive a relevant offer for a CD release…

-other projects for the band? Touring planned?

Panos: There is also another split-7”EP that will follow shortly. It will be part of irish label’s Hell Comes Home (http://www.hellcomeshome.com/)subscription series. We will share it with Great Falls (http://www.myspace.com/greatfallsnoise), a great american band featuring ex-members of gods Playing Enemy…

Touring is unfortunately out of the question right now since Thanos is studying in Göteborg-Sweden, and our drummer Nikos is recovering from an arm injury. Dephosphorus gigs will definitely happen at some point. We just don’t know when - yet.

-what do you think of the situation in Greece? Has it an influence on your music? If so in which way?

Panos: We think that the situation in Greece is just a preamble to the storm that is coming, the global crisis of western capitalism. The Greek society is responsible for what is happening, and so are our foreign “friends” who encouraged and took advantage of corruption for the last 30 years. Fuck you Europe!

Most of our music and lyrics have been written before the crisis came down really hard on our country and people. There’s not any direct link, except the general sense of regret that our short lives on earth are consumed by trivial, mundane, materialistic worries and struggles, separating us from our true nature and from the greater, encompassing cosmic realities.

-how is the extreme metal/punk/grind scene in Greece at the moment?

Panos: It’s better than what it was 10 years ago. There’s a handful of exceptional acts (Dead Congregation, Ravencult, Injekting Khaos, Ruined Families, to name a few), some good ones and a whole lot of mediocrity. Just like everywhere else.

-can you tell us a few words about Blastbeat mailmurder/productions?

Panos: I’ve started Blastbeat Mailmurder/ Productions 10+ years ago, in order to distribute in Greece metal and hardcore music that wasn’t available in the stores at that time. I did a fair amount of field work introducing the local audience to bands like Antaeus, Kickback, Arkhon Infaustus, cult labels like Spikekult, Blackfish Records and Noevdia…

I’ve also released a handful of quality releases including both CD’s of Straighthate, 7”EP’s by swiss grind heroes Mumakil and local death metal legends Nuclear Winter (the band from the ashes of whom rose Dead Congregation)… I’ve just got out my latest release in over 4 years, the “Rotting Season” 7”EP by N.Y.C. death metal band Mutant Supremacy – I know you digged this one!

What I’m working right now is the Monomaniac series. That will be a stream of compilation 7”EP’s where each band will contribute with 1 minute of music! A lot of

excellent bands have been recruited to the cause until now (Diocletian, Necromantia, Robocop, The Howling Wind, etc)… I will also release at some point the self-titled mini-LP of our drummer’s excellent black/death band, Injekting Khaos (http://www.myspace.com/injektingkhaos, http://injektingkhaos.bandcamp.com/).

For more info, online music and a mailorder choke full of quality death/grind/black/hardcore items please check out my website: www.blastbeatmailmurder.com.

-something to add?

Panos: I would like to invite your readers to check out our website www.dephosphorus.com for more info. Subscribe to our mailing list and/or find us in facebook in order to be updated about the latest developments.

Thanks for supporting Dephosphorus and good luck with Blasting Days!