EP Review: Phoxjaw - ‘Goodbye Dinosaur…’

The debut EP from Phoxjaw will quickly make a mark with it’s titanic riffs and crushing energy.

Bristol-based outfit Phoxjaw have unleashed their debut EP ‘Goodbye Dinosaur…’ upon the world, and it’s a force of nature that makes a statement for the band. Making a statement with blazing riffs and colossal vocals that leave you at their mercy, the intensity of the EP brings with it an excitement at the prospect of how this raw energy can be harnessed.

An atmospheric start of electronics in ‘The Great Dying’ paints an eerie, haunting picture, creating a sinister soundscape you wouldn’t want to find yourself trapped in.You’ll be forgiven for thinking it’s doomsday when ‘Triceratops’ kicks in with it’s loaded opening riffs, and when coupled with a primal scream, it truly feels like the world is about to collapse around you. The verses stand in comparison with a relatively placid guitar line and mellow vocals, and the power of the track lies not in it’s tempo but in it’s intensity. However, this is switched up for ‘Lottery’, which runs at you with breakneck speed and lends itself to some enthusiastic headbanging. Heavily distorted guitars ricochet off explosive drums and thick basses, creating a ferocious instrumental roar. The latter half of the track slows down, creating a new type of ominous feeling.

You’re given a rude awakening in ‘Weapons’, which lures you into a false sense of safety with a solitary guitar line, before ferocious instrumental and brutal vocals rip into you without a warning. The major melody of the verse creates a light feeling that juxtaposes against the cataclysmic instrumentals that immediately proceeds, and the dichotomy in texture exposes two wildly different faces of the track. ‘Dinosaur Bones’ paves a way with it’s mammoth riffs, and the descending chromatic scale in the bridge further adds to the sense of imminent doom. A tranquil section runs through the middle, slowly building towards an impassioned frenzy of guitars and cymbals. Rounding off the EP nicely with ‘Plastic Wedding’, it’s a solid debut that shows off what the band has to offer and leaves you thirsting for more material soon.

Words by Athena Kam