Ni
Pantophobie


4.5
superb

Review

by Mitch Worden EMERITUS
March 2nd, 2019 | 67 replies


Release Date: 2019 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Ekki-ekki-ekki-ekki-PTANG Zoom-Boing, z'nourrwringmm is probably more like it.

Given the dedication emanated by serious collectors, it’s incredibly surprising that none have discovered a rather strange delete scene. Perhaps Monty Python and the Holy Grail ranks low on priority lists, which I find troublesome—this is a fascinating piece of film. As King Arthur and Sir Bedevere traverse a foreboding forest, they encounter the fearsome Knights Who Say Ni, who thereby task them with one grand objective: obtaining a shrubbery. What’s interesting here is that the two adventurers actually fail in this instance and are unable to hold up their end of the deal, practically guaranteeing their deaths. Yet the scene takes a sudden turn; the lead knight, furious, digs through the dirt behind him and reveals the shrubbery garden had been a front all along and the chanting collective had been stashing guitars, as was common medieval practice. The ground begins to tremble as another member joins the fray with a groovy bass, his output eventually supported by a tactical percussion strike swooping by on a cart. Arthur and Bedevere find themselves surrounded as their assailants—they’re French, for some reason—begin frolicking about amidst complex rhythmic motions, loud noises, moments of respite, and then more loud noises (and yelling, which French people just seem to do sometimes). Never mind the fact that the footage looks suspiciously modern and forget how it was randomly inserted as though manually spliced into the movie. Most important to the audience should be that Ni aim for a kind of zaniness emblematic of the source material from which they derive their namesake, supplying a series of dissonant, jazz-tinged romps both instrumentally pleasing and foot-tapping fun.

The mindset behind forming an album atypically in the manner that Pantophobie appears is one that cannot be conclusively tied down by any particular categorization. Math rock and metalcore indeed play the fundamental role, which is to be expected following the more immediate aggression erupting from predecessor Les insurgés de Romilly—time signature variations galore, balanced equally by dynamic alterations through tempo fluctuations or wayward breakdowns. Guitar riffs carry with them a refined polish so that their intricate movements are easily detectable, simultaneously maintaining genre-approved crunchiness so that a heaviness factor is always lurking, brought forward whenever a song demands it. Quite unlike their intimidating alter-egos of the silver screen, Ni demonstrate command over elements beyond hardened steel and herrings; though they carry a reputation for being sporadic in their delivery, this serves to downplay the key element of patience that the French group possess. While aforementioned descriptions may paint a portrait of a disordered, unrestrained assembly, the Frenchmen tend to holster such portions, waiting for the proper moment to fire. In an evolution from prior efforts, Ni allow even more room for tracks to expand and grow by establishing a foundation before blasting off into frenzied attacks. If any indicator was to be designated, the responsibility would have to be attached to album opener and leading single “Heliophobie”: the band joins the fray individually, slowing constructing the tune for nearly half of its length. One guitar is scratched in the background, the static stretching like a curtain behind the stage as its partner and the bassist trade discordant notes and low chords, seemingly off-beat yet cooperating in sync by a hair.

This level of coordination dominates the record to the extent it does any other metalcore album that’s grounded in that ‘controlled chaos’ methodology: that strategy of crafting music that may externally exhibit signs of disconnect, but is internally intertwined in a tight formation wherein one slip causes the whole product to collapse. Ni have a pension for throwing about these passages confidently, leaden chugs and precise drumming walking tightrope-style with intermittent melodic outbursts and technical maneuvers. Whether the gents divulge their cards earlier or later differs; think about the delicate strumming and cymbal hits that characterize the first minute of “Lachanophobie,” which eventually merges into a restrained, ominous alternating pick pattern that lures the listener in. Contrast this display with the crazy introduction represented on “Catagelophobie,” random vocal inflections dancing around as a funky rhythm sways about—that is, before it is ultimately murdered by a distorted explosion punctuated by distant screaming, wailing string tones leaping up and down behind the barrage. Holding consistent to their underrated trait of patience, neither of these instances are the peaks of their respective entries, only highlights of the total equation. The former song races into a swirling mass of screeching guitars, a resonating low end, and a frantic percussion showing, while the latter dissolves into weighty breakdown. If it hasn’t already been made clear, the Knights Who Play Ni are certainly knights in the plural sense. Among the quartet’s contributors, nobody necessarily outshines the other; it’s something I mention often in reviews because this speaks to a complete harmonization of direction. When every voice is heard, the mix is balanced, meaning that the listener has no shortage of depth to dive into, picking apart the dense layering packaged inside the tracks.

Naturally, a band being able to sound (at least) good and cohesive is desirable, but it can only attain acclaim to a point. Instrumental releases are inevitably hampered by their exclusion of singing; charismatic or otherwise impressive vocalists can often cover for lackluster performances and arbitrarily add memorability to tunes that otherwise wasn’t there. Ni is an awfully skilled collection of individuals who doubtlessly parade about mastery over musical minutiae, controlling separate components in a firm grasp, ensuring even the small details are refined. Being able to pause instead of charging full speed ahead is a key attribute that lets songs breathe, avoiding the issue of suffocating motifs from developing and reaching climaxes. If none of this can be remembered by the audience, however, it’s all for naught—simply fun facts off of IMDB’s trivia page. All involved can rest assured that the French fellows characterize their production distinctly to prevent blending. There’s something that pushes the creations of Pantophobie out of the speakers and deep into the back of the brain; in the case of “Leucosélophobie,” an electronic bass tone thunders in skies above as a chainsaw-sounding guitar swipes down menacingly. The centerpiece of the disc, the 7-minute opus “Athazagoraphobie” (say that five times fast), kicks off its duration immersed in a mysterious aura, gradually progressing to a howling guitar solo that revels in discordant melodies. Never does the ambitious crew settle for a formula or lag behind in their unswerving dedication to captivating flair. Even more significant is the prevalence of substance over panache, since the talent demonstrated does not eclipse overall goals of building excellent numbers.

That Middle Ages conflict definitely seems like a culmination of the knights’ resume thus far, though I vacillate between defining it as an apex or another base camp before the summit. Ni stock Pantophobie front-to-back with a treasure trove of exciting, fresh incursions through twisted domains populated by twisted personalities, all of them making brash exclamations that barely pierce a thick blanket of metalcore riffage. Moments crop up that are groovy, nearly funky, jazzy, or potentially a combination of all three. It’s a variation on -core bedlam not often heard and it is dealt a spectacular justice here. Very few artists of divergent persuasions have managed to combine a wide array of assets without sacrificing something along the way in compromise. Make no mistake: Ni can bang heads, thrust hips, and cast a hypnotic, mosh-inducing spell upon any crowd that dares enter the shrubbery den. I can only add the caveat that the angry atmosphere could be pushed even further—imagine similar instrumental musters merged underneath gloomy melancholia a la Niechec. If the quality of work here continues its upward trend, the summit being a limitation is out of the question. Pantophobie invades the disco bar all the same as it does an English forest; double-check those Holy Grail copies, I swear there’s a guitar in there somewhere.



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user ratings (45)
3.5
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
MarsKid
Emeritus
March 2nd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Heard the contrib train was rolling in so I thought I'd jump aboard. What better way to celebrate than to review obscure core? I got a reputation to uphold damnit.



Stream on bandcamp: https://niiii.bandcamp.com/album/pantophobie



Also available on Spotify.



Comments, criticism, insert whatever comes next here: __________ all welcome.

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
March 2nd 2019


8416 Comments


nice, last album was cool
And shiny new title there, congrats!

MarsKid
Emeritus
March 2nd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thanks! And this one's even better my man

Doomcifer
March 2nd 2019


19 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This album is effin' amazing, imo. Strong King Crimson (at their heaviest) vibes.

MarsKid
Emeritus
March 2nd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Oh this is for sure the best thing I've heard this year thus far. Still plenty of months to go so I'm excited to see whatever comes. Ni are definitely worth attention

Ecnalzen
March 2nd 2019


12167 Comments


Congrats on the upgrade in sput status!

This album is fucking weird so far, and I am not sure if it is in a good way or not yet.

SteakByrnes
March 2nd 2019


30382 Comments


I for once cannot say I pos'd a Marskid review, good review my boi and congrats < 3

MarsKid
Emeritus
March 2nd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Much love to both of you, the support will never go unappreciated. Means a lot.



And yeah, these guys are unconventional. I know the "it's a grower" thing gets thrown about too much, but let this one sit and simmer for a bit.

Ecnalzen
March 2nd 2019


12167 Comments


I had to stop listening. I dunno, it feels super disjointed, random, and kind of directionless.

Maybe another try will be in order for the future in a different mindset.

TorkshireYea
March 2nd 2019


57 Comments


Last album was a fuckin wild one. Really surprised out how listenable the opening track is, so fingers crossed the rest is as good.
Excellent review man, really pulled this one apart to inspect it. Congrats on the promotion too!

MarsKid
Emeritus
March 2nd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thank you very much! It's an awesome listen, enjoy the journey



And yeah, give it some tries. Might click later!

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
March 3rd 2019


32179 Comments


How do you find all these cool French bands will always remain a mystery.

This sounds like it could be hyper cool or a total wreckage for me, maybe similar to Ex Eye? or Zhu?

Gotta give it a shot. And man, I love that movie.

StonedManatee
March 3rd 2019


571 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Innovative noisy shit that makes me want to scream "Ni!"

MarsKid
Emeritus
March 3rd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

"How do you find all these cool French bands will always remain a mystery."



Maybe I'm attracted to them. There is something about those French men...



And respect to the 5, that there is a bold rating.



farmer56
March 3rd 2019


47 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I am very much enjoying this album

Source
March 3rd 2019


19917 Comments


nice job making contrib buddy

Source
March 3rd 2019


19917 Comments


and Dewi whoa

Slex
March 3rd 2019


17255 Comments


What I heard of this was pretty cool

Papa Universe
March 3rd 2019


22502 Comments


ni - POStophobie

quite a read there, the name might be referring to any of these things:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NI

MarsKid
Emeritus
March 3rd 2019


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I think they embrace the Python aspect of the name, they have used a sample before after all.



Appreciate all the reads fellas, this here is worthy of a good listening sesh



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