Interview with Shane “The Pain” Mclachlan of Phobia | By James Alvarez
Southern California grind legends, Phobia, are back with their sixth full-length: the punishing Lifeless God, released June 2 on Willowtip Records.
On their latest outing, Phobia stick with the tried and true grind-punk-metal assault that’s kept their name atop the extreme music scene for the past two decades. However, the new-ish old lineup assembled on Lifeless God helps make Phobia sound like a band revitalized, even after 26 years of cracking skulls. Original guitarist Bruce Reeves, as well as former Phobia shredder, guitarist Leon del Muerte of Murder Construct and Terrorizer LA, and skins-assassin, drummer Danny Walker of Murder Construct and Intronaut—who both rocked with the band in the 2000s—all rejoined the team, and their efforts helped make Lifeless God such a rager.
“The writing process began once we all decided we wanted to work on a new record together,” Phobia mainman Shane “The Pain” Mclachlan reveals. “Once that was decided, Danny sent Leon some drum tracks, and Leon wrote to that. I went to Los Angeles and jammed out with Danny and Bruce and brought stuff that I had already wrote or other songs I started—and Bruce had his own ideas.”
The final product is another slice of relentless, neck-snapping grindcore featuring 20 tracks, all well under three minutes long. If songs like “Damaged” and “Human Default = Suck at Life” don’t tickle your fancy, you might need to check the authenticity of your grinding license.
“Everyone in this lineup, they all bring something very unique, they are all great at what they do,” Mclachlan says proudly. “Bruce and I wrote all the early Phobia songs, so we are sort of on the same page, where Leon’s style really exaggerates ours and adds something different to the sound. Danny’s drumming is always colorful; his drumming adds to the songs and is very critical to the writing process.”
These returning alums helped Mclachlan—who has guided the Phobia ship since the band’s inception in 1990—crank out one of their most pummeling releases to date. Coupling modern day extremity with an old-school, no-fucks-given attitude, Lifeless God’s brilliant anti-Trump album art—courtesy of Jasper “Infested Art” Swerts—makes the album feel especially relevant in 2017.
“It was all timing,” Mclachlan explains, “very convenient for the writing of a good, solid, grinding punk record, you know? I think with all that is going on today in America, the issues, the drama—I think it’s perfect for a cover. Maybe a bit cliché, but I was really going for an old-school feel, something that was influential for me in my early days. And the cover, I think, depicts just that!”
Crazy tunes, old-school aggression, and a nice middle finger to authoritarian institutions across the board, Lifeless God is Phobia’s way of scaring the sheep awake from the hypnotic charms of their spiritual and political shepherds.
“There is no higher power than yourself,” Mclachlan declares. “You need to live and conquer your own personal endeavors—not being misled or believing in any false creator.”
Phobia 2017: waking the masses—with blast beats.
Purchase Lifeless God here: Bandcamp | Willow Tip Records
