Track By Tracks: Phobetor - Through Deepest Fears And Darkest Minds (2021)

Solace in Darkness:

‘Solace in Darkness’ was built around a particular picture I had in my head, a picture which would resemble a particular feeling. The image I visualised was that of someone falling within the dark waters of the abyss. The lower they descended, the darker and the further away from light they were.This particular image and the lyrics the depict it in the song juxtapose the survival instinct with the acceptance of imminent death – two opposing forces. This reconnects with the theme of the album which is based on the human struggle in various shades and scenarios.

‘Beneath Black Waters’ and ‘One Last Breath’:

‘Beneath Black Waters’ and ‘One Last Breath’ are inspired by the stories of North Korea defectors which I’d been listening to and learning about over the lockdown period. The lyrics do not attempt to be political, but they try to portray, understand and empathise with the human condition within a hopeless state of existence.Those two songs are in opposition to each other; ‘Beneath Black Waters’ tries to depict resignation and hopelessness, whereas ‘One Last Breath’ appeals to the human survival instinct and within its dark themes becomes a song of hope and desire for freedom.

‘Screaming Silence’:

This song was inspired after learning about the condition of the civilians of Afghanistan. Again, this song does not try to make a political statement but tries to explore and understand on a human level the struggle of the people in these circumstances.

‘Coerced Infestation’ and ‘As Dreams Decay’:

These two songs have a more personal meaning. Once more relating to the main theme of human struggle it depicts various feelings of defeat, hopelessness and sorrow. In both ‘Coerced Infestation’ and ‘As Dreams Decay’ the main theme is addiction. It is easy to think of addiction as relating to drugs or alcohol abuse, but this is not what is depicted in those songs. Addiction takes various forms and it can be linked to a variety of things. In this case, addiction as an uncontrollable monster, becomes allegory for the difficulty experienced in letting go and regaining power over one’s life. ‘As Dreams Decay’takes this theme further by tackling the aftermath of addiction and the personal destruction it can bring.

‘Your Empty Shadow’:

This song is trying to make sense of betrayal and unwanted loss. Loss in this case is not necessarily related to death but to unbroken bonds between the living and how to live with the sense of abandonment, powerlessness and injustice that comes from that.

‘Eternal Slumber’ and ‘Within Death’s Embrace’:

Both these songs play with the imagery of the night as an allegory for the prison of the mind. Referring to depression and social withdrawal, the lyrics speak about the night as a comforting time where the world around seems still, frozen in time, away from its chaotic nature.

‘A Silent Nihility’:

This song was written during the lockdown period in January 2021. During this period of self- isolation, I found myself living and experiencing time differently compared to my usual routine. It felt as the days merged with each other in an endless time continuum. Furthermore, this isolation period felt like there was no way of living new experiences and time felt still. This brought me to live in the past, in memories of previous experiences in order to make up for the lack in the present.