The Phans are a '70s styled hard rock/blues rock trio from Ulm, Germany, comprised of Karl Braun (Vocals/Bass), Dany Enchelmaier (Drums), and Matthias Weing (Guitar). Their brand new release for El Puerto Records Gbr is a self-titled nine track platter of catchy, vintage styled riff rockers dripping with plenty of sweat & swagger. The band lists their musical heroes as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, but you can also hear some Free, Humble Pie, Cactus, Grand Funk Railroad, The Faces, and The Rolling Stones throughout the album, especially on the bluesy, raunchy, but hard rocking single "Coil". A wealth of inventive, bluesy riffing permeates "Empire" as well as "Phage", while "Twenty O-Five" packs a mean punch with its lean & mean hard rock attack. "Bulletsucker" contains a solid groove to go along with meaty riffs, and "A Siren's Death" is just plain old fun styled Stones/Faces rock 'n' roll. One of the heavier tracks here is "Crooked and Submissive", as Sabbath styled riffing meets the blues with a dash of psych, with "Clarity" taking that even further, a dark, menacing dirge with massive guitar power, thunderous grooves, and aggressive vocals.
If I have one aspect to nitpick on here, it's the vocals of Braun. On a few tracks his delivery is weak and slightly straining, and I'm left wondering how potent this band might be with a stronger, dedicated full time vocalist. The bassist does sound pretty good on a few tracks, so perhaps it's more a matter of him growing into this role. I'll hold my judgement till their next album, but for now, this is a pretty strong release that shows a boatload of potential for what could be another heavy hitter on the '70s styled retro heavy rock scene.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01 - Phage
02 - Coil
03 - Empire
04 - Twenty O-Five
05 - Zzyzx 1 1
06 - Bulletsucker
07 - A Siren's Death
08 - Crooked and Submissive
09 - Clarity k
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