P.H.0 - KARMA (2023) [Hi-Res]
![P.H.0 - KARMA (2023) [Hi-Res]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2023-05/1685362932_a1750943185_10.jpg)
BAND/ARTIST: P.H.0
- Title: KARMA
- Year Of Release: 2023
- Label: 899544 Records DK2
- Genre: electronic, industrial, progressive, metal, synthwave
- Quality: 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC; 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC
- Total Time: 38 min
- Total Size: 274; 471 MB
- WebSite: Album Preview
In Ken Liu’s The Dandelion Dynasty series, the Chinese American science fiction author expands on his vision of “silkpunk”: not “Asian-flavored steampunk” nor “Asian-influenced fantasy,” but a particular aesthetic which constitutes a “re-appropriation and rejuvenation of tradition” as a type of alternative worldbuilding from the Pacific. The latest album from P.H.0, a group of New York City-based artists making “east asian cyber-metal” [sic] strives in a similar direction, mixing traditional-sounding pentatonic melodies with a potpourri of genres both brutal and futuristic, from industrial EBM to retrofuturistic synthwave. Though it stumbles at moments, KARMA 業 reimagines what Asian music might sound like.
A distant suona heralds the beginning of “Vanity 虛妄.” After the short introduction, gravelly guitars and syncopated toms take things in a more conventionally metal direction, albeit with a synthesized twist. Then—two minutes in, the intensity dissolves, giving way to a post-rock interlude that features an erhu solo supported by a wistful guitar line. A minute later, and there’s a synthwave drop, heavily compressed and undulating with each kick, after which they conclude the track with a heavy breakdown. Packing a ranging mix of sounds into just under five minutes, the track is a glorious mess that encapsulates the band’s willingness to take risks.
Some of these choices pay off, while others don’t land quite as well. “Yè 業” starts off strong, with a pentatonic riff over a measured blitz of guitar and electronics, but their first lyrics break any spell the introduction might have cast with a bit of Weezer-esque cheese: “A Japanese CPU dreams of electric sheep while the system sleeps.” “Wu Wuo 無我” exhibits a similar tension between their progressive sound and sometimes weary subject matter. Beginning with a minimalistic 4×4 beat—we’re deep in techno territory now—they slowly introduce droning erhu and distorted bass. Then comes George Orwell, with lines from 1984 narrated by a vaguely British voice: “We will abolish the orgasm. There will be no loyalty except loyalty to the Party.” The title of the track translates to “anatta,” the Buddhist concept of non-self; it sounds like a bit of an on-the-nose critique of communism in the Pacific. It’s in these moments when the band dips a little too far into “Asian-influenced fantasy,” the typical sonic signifiers of East Asia used as window dressing for well-worn themes of Asian authoritarianism—yet P.H.0 nevertheless explore musical combinations with a full-throated earnestness that bears fruit in bursts of creativity.
Tracklist:
1.01 - P.H.0 - Vanity (4:58)
1.02 - P.H.0 - Shin (1:48)
1.03 - P.H.0 - Yè (5:33)
1.04 - P.H.0 - Jiva (4:03)
1.05 - P.H.0 - Mo (4:36)
1.06 - P.H.0 - Maruya (1:54)
1.07 - P.H.0 - Wu Wuo (4:42)
1.08 - P.H.0 - Bodhaka (1:30)
1.09 - P.H.0 - Genko (5:05)
1.10 - P.H.0 - Ascension (4:18)
A distant suona heralds the beginning of “Vanity 虛妄.” After the short introduction, gravelly guitars and syncopated toms take things in a more conventionally metal direction, albeit with a synthesized twist. Then—two minutes in, the intensity dissolves, giving way to a post-rock interlude that features an erhu solo supported by a wistful guitar line. A minute later, and there’s a synthwave drop, heavily compressed and undulating with each kick, after which they conclude the track with a heavy breakdown. Packing a ranging mix of sounds into just under five minutes, the track is a glorious mess that encapsulates the band’s willingness to take risks.
Some of these choices pay off, while others don’t land quite as well. “Yè 業” starts off strong, with a pentatonic riff over a measured blitz of guitar and electronics, but their first lyrics break any spell the introduction might have cast with a bit of Weezer-esque cheese: “A Japanese CPU dreams of electric sheep while the system sleeps.” “Wu Wuo 無我” exhibits a similar tension between their progressive sound and sometimes weary subject matter. Beginning with a minimalistic 4×4 beat—we’re deep in techno territory now—they slowly introduce droning erhu and distorted bass. Then comes George Orwell, with lines from 1984 narrated by a vaguely British voice: “We will abolish the orgasm. There will be no loyalty except loyalty to the Party.” The title of the track translates to “anatta,” the Buddhist concept of non-self; it sounds like a bit of an on-the-nose critique of communism in the Pacific. It’s in these moments when the band dips a little too far into “Asian-influenced fantasy,” the typical sonic signifiers of East Asia used as window dressing for well-worn themes of Asian authoritarianism—yet P.H.0 nevertheless explore musical combinations with a full-throated earnestness that bears fruit in bursts of creativity.
Tracklist:
1.01 - P.H.0 - Vanity (4:58)
1.02 - P.H.0 - Shin (1:48)
1.03 - P.H.0 - Yè (5:33)
1.04 - P.H.0 - Jiva (4:03)
1.05 - P.H.0 - Mo (4:36)
1.06 - P.H.0 - Maruya (1:54)
1.07 - P.H.0 - Wu Wuo (4:42)
1.08 - P.H.0 - Bodhaka (1:30)
1.09 - P.H.0 - Genko (5:05)
1.10 - P.H.0 - Ascension (4:18)
Year 2023 | World | Metal | Electronic | FLAC / APE | HD & Vinyl
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