Phuture Doom- II
Phuture Doom are unlike any conventional band. Not only are they extremely secretive about their music, but the true identity of the trio and the true meanings of the ideology of the cult they have established is unknown. Their sophomore LP, 'II', is just that; it is a blatantly religious, dark and mysterious journey through Phuture Doom's catalogue that is as hard and heavy hitting as it is disturbing, but for a trio like this, it's almost as if that’s half the point.
For those not familiar with Phuture Doom's name, it is a trio of unidentified individuals who released their first LP through Skrillex's OWSLA label in 2013 and flew under the radar not because the release wasn’t amazing, but because people didn’t understand the whole image.
The 'Black Acid' band incorporate an excessive amount of lore into their music based on the apocalyptic philosophy of technological singularity. A theory, which, as a quick google search explains, suggests "the invention of artificial superintelligence will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization". Phuture Doom attempt to paint their own version of this picture through abstract and fragmented video montages of bombs, war and destruction contrasted with post-apocalyptic industrialisation, images of deserts, abandoned buildings and places of little human activity. Covered with computer coding, symbols or messages that further invoke a sense of discomforting intrigue, it is the classic example of 'curiosity kills the cat' as you just can't help but to try and find the answer to this question; who exactly ARE these guys?
The band even went as far as publishing a 'Book of Nightfall', which outlines the beliefs of their cult and sets the scene for the post apocalyptic, fearful world the band lives in. In essence, the band's ideology and music as a whole are this grusome mix of horror, terror and an excessive amount of information that do nothing more but overwhelm you and lead you to feeling uncomfortable, yet still intrigued. It’s this dark, unidentifiable chaos that reigns over the band's style and most prominently, 'II'.
Admittedly, the album can be very difficult to listen to given you're not a fan of heavier music, as much of the sounds are distorted; lasers, guitars, drums, and just white noise that almost seem like they serve no purpose but to test your eardrums and listening capability. That said, the album is wonderfully put together, as the opening track 'Helas' allows a little bit of breathing room for you to understand the attitude of the record with its rising and falling religious hymns, before throwing you in the fast lane halfway through with its hard hitting bass riff.
The 'black acid' genre that the band have been associated with are showcased on the following tracks 'Entity0' and 'Peste Noire', before reintroducing those orchestral pieces that most definitely allude to cultish material in '[_]' and 'Saint'. The contrast of the religious singing and the heavy black sound is most definitely spooky, but it is a formula that Phuture Doom established on their first LP and seem to have perfected in 'II'. With the tracks varying in degrees on balance of ambient choirs and raw basses, some are almost all entirely spooky cult hymns, whilst others introduce a driving pattern, and in the instance of 'Saint' do not hold back in putting the two elements side by side in this unique battle that fights against one another but ultimately works.
'Epoch' is one of the standouts of the album; it is energetic, extremely industrial sounding and seemed like the only track to include vocals that weren't hymns. It is a very experimental track, as most of the LP is, but it's fast paced riffs that tend to change ensure the track doesn’t get old as quick as some of the others following, that soon become worn for wear.
A segment that notably does this is 'Great Schism Protocol' I & II. An obvious attempt at trying to become more 'rock star-like', the two tracks fall entirely short just due to their repetitiveness and unnecessary guitar solo that ultimately becomes boring to listen to, with the second part arguably being a load of nothing for 3 minutes.
That said, the album has its highlights, 'Neodrome', 'Honam Artificial' and 'Neptune' all do what they are trying to do extremely well; proving that Phuture Doom have mastered their sound and are not shy of showcasing just what they can achieve, from the discomforting cult sounds of 'Honam Artificial' to the extremely heavy, hard hitting jams on 'Neptune'.
The final track, 'Excavation' is spooky departure with it's moving industrial groans accompanied by faint church recordings, a true reflection of what the band's true intentions are; to not only provide its fans with listening material, but also prompt them to think about the message Phuture Doom are attempting to put across. This theory of technological singularity and this morbid but believable prediction they have for the future prompts a very unnerving question; will you join the ørd?
The album was initially teased in November 2016, with the fans coming together as a community to solve the ARG that the band had set up, which saw some members gain access to the B-sides of the record, known as ‘Releaks’, which were published later on their Youtube channel. The ARG concluded with the revelation of a specific grave where the closest fans were able to travel to and uncover the announcement of the new album, an event that was captured over the course of a 9 hour stream (that can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_E15y_bKlE). The ARG that Phuture Doom had set up was entirely spooky, most notably it’s conclusion, and it is that sort of stunt that this band is able to pull off extremely well.
All in all, Phuture Doom's sophomore LP is very well executed, but it also has its flaws. The productions help the band's loyal followers further try to understand just what this cult is about, as well as providing some very tasty ear candy. That said, it is difficult to appreciate the album without first appreciating the amount of lore and ideology behind the band, as not only does that help you understand the album with context, but it also makes it a lot more enjoyable and intrigued about this particular style of 'black acid' that defines Phuture Doom.
