.. I would also like to mention that although I've compared this and PoF's Chaos Opera album a lot in my review, it should be mentioned that the overall sound image is extremely similar (track 4 to 9). What separates them is the fact that the Chaos Opera album has more classical elements in it, different and maybe more emotional leads, a story feel and more of a full-packed and busy sound image. While this Skulls & Bones album has a more open space to its tracks with a steadier techno vibe going on in its Full-On realm. Also according to my knowledge, Skulls & Bones is a collection of single tracks that were supposed to be scattered on compilations here and there but went into one album to form Skulls & Bones instead.

Phonic Request - Skulls & Bones

So here we go, another album promising full power without a shower that’s supposed to be sleek and pretty damn naughty. The artwork done by Meskalart is Skulls & Bones in front of some kind of mechanical device of propulsion, sort of animalistic in rawness that I guess suits the music inside. Wilfried, the musical artist behind Phonic Request was born in France in the year 1977. As a teenager his love of Rock’n’Roll rapidly led him to play the guitar. He trained day and night and his hard work began to pay off as his skills grew. He then ventured out to play in an Acid-Jazz band which played with the other side of sound but music. In his own research of novelty, he put aside the guitar and started to tweak sounds on computers and came to the conclusion that he wanted to produce Electronic music instead of plinging the guitar. He has now been composing trance oriented tracks since the year 2004, so now in 2009 an experienced composer by the name Wilfried Decaesteker is more than ready to show us the extent of his talents in sonic alchemy by delivering his second album Skulls & Bones, which is released on the Portuguese based label Hypergate Records. Phonic Request, as his project has been named, constantly chases the hard pumping effects and wild side of the psychedelic dance floor.

After playing his album a few times I have a feeling of stress and conferment. The first three tracks all have this ultra fast chainsaw effect thing that runs through the tracks producing these scratching annoyances. They all got a super sweet production on their good measure side and the sound effects sounds as crystal clear as one would expect out of a full powered Full-On dance floor album anno 2009. The best tracks in my opinion are the ones that seem to have more of a story to them, the ones that offer interesting ideas and evolution in sound. And this is where my conspiracy theories get their wonk on - the album title is Skulls & Bones after all, so why not conspire to conspire a little.

So what I know is that Phonic Request cooperated with Principle of Flight on their debut album Night Time Lullabies, I know they’re probably very good friends that hang out in the studio smoking grass and tweaking noises together. Hell, I’m even sure they listen to each other’s raw materials for inputs and ideas! And of course, I know perfectly well that Principle of Flight joined forces with Phonic Request on this very album. Actually, they joined forces on two tracks, the fourth and fifth as Crash Bug (Remix) and the title track are tracks credited to them both. So here goes, either Wilfried aka Phonic Request is Principle of Flight, or he’s copying them, or maybe vice versa for all I know. I mean, every single track starting at number 4 and ending at number 9 bear strong resemblances to Principle of Flight’s latest album Chaos Opera, which makes it sound like a rip-off, with the exception of the seventh track that only has some miner indications of plagiarism. And this is sort of curious since the only indication of originality in Skulls & Bones then stand from their usage of fucked-up Chemical Crew E-Tard chainsaw scratches in the very first three tracks, which turns out, is not so original after all.

So what’s good about the album then? Well the production is top notch, that’s for sure. And the mastering that’s been done by Johannes Regnier aka Silicon Sound is crystal clear down to the crome surface of a skeletal core. The effects used have some impressive turns and tweaks to bend your sanity, but it sort of feels like they have no purpose except to mess up your mind and sound stressfully cool on a packed dance floor.

Ok, so maybe I got this all wrong, but nonetheless it’s my distinct impression about the album and I did hear the Chaos Opera album first and it’s better, much better. Speaking of Chaos Opera, the fifth track (together with Principle of Flight) sounds likes a piece that was supposed to be included on the Chaos Opera album but unfortunately didn’t make the cut. So Phonic Request decided to put it on his own album instead, and since it was the best input on the album he also decided to make the following tracks sound like its’ crunching landscape.

All in all, this is an album with a fuck-you vibe that drives a full throttle, which in my personal opinion stresses more then it pleases a sinister grind.

I got to mention that this album was released in March, and the Chaos Opera album was released in May. :P :) But still ...