This year there were two albums that were way ahead of the pack, easily claiming spots 1 and 2.
The first of them comes courtesy of Bristol’s much hyped heavy
music trailblazers, Phoxjaw, who (finally) delivered their long
awaited first full-length this summer. Fair to say, Royal Swan meets
expectations: this debut is a doozy. Adopting a traditional soft/heavy dynamic but then running it
through their very special mangle of post-punk, stoner rock, and, importantly,
hardcore, Phoxjaw are the real deal. Yet, at times, given this
is twisted heavy music, Royal Swan is very accessible: the
chorus of ‘Triple AAA’ almost sounds like 3 Colours Red, and the
closing title track shifts into an ethereal refrain that sees us on our way
unexpectedly becalmed. But, elsewhere, Phoxjaw might well
upset the unwary. The vicious guitar screech on ‘You Don’t Drink Unicorn’s
Blood’, the feral yelps on ‘Bats for Bleeding’, or the really disturbing
lyrical depths of ‘An Owl is a Cat with Wings’ (aside: winner, 2020 best song
name award) all illustrate that despite the odd catchy chorus Phoxjaw are
happy to scupper their potential for unit shifting. Although they sound really
quite different, they remind me a bit of Korn
in that way. Mix it all together and I can’t think of a band that operates in
quite the same territory that Phoxjaw have now set up shop in –
but I also think their sound is palatable enough that by 2022 we can expect it to be replicated across a large chunk of British heavy music, with lesser copycats running
rife. Abrasive, crafted, accessible, punishing and real (maybe too real here
and there: some of the lyrics genuinely chafe), Royal Swan is an
outstanding debut.