Crywolf battles creative demons in Iceland to produce Cataclasm
By: Martin Van Beek
Following Crywolf’s most recent full-length, Dysphoria, released back in June, Justin Taylor Phillips is back from a monthlong journey to Iceland where he wrote, produced, and recorded his recent masterpiece, a concept album: Cataclasm. Some might say that those are quiet extreme lengths to go to just to record an album, but in the case of Crywolf, it was something that had to be done. In the first of his docu-series, The Making Of Cataclasm, Phillips states:
“It's so easy to conform in the electronic scene, you see all of these incredibly successful producers that are making the most default music, and you think to yourself, what do they know that I don’t, clearly they are doing something right. As a producer, even if you don’t want to, you start subconsciously changing your music to be more like the people you see who are becoming the most popular. I felt like I was suffocating artistically.”
To help find his creative muse and breathe a new creativity into his music, Crywolf hunkered down in a remote cabin in rural Iceland, where he drew inspiration from the “seemingly post-apocalyptic” yet oddly gorgeous landscape and his own solidarity. These influences can be clearly heard from start to finish throughout the album. With tracks like “Anachronism” and “The Hunger In Your Haunt,” you can sense an eerie-beauty within Phillips' vocals intertwining with the ghostly percussion, creating an auditory landscape unlike anything else. Each song paints a piece of a grand picture, creating a masterpiece that leaves you feeling you have just experienced something otherworldly.
Cataclasm is breaking down boundaries and forging new paths in the electronic music industry with Crywolf’s unique style and dedication to his art. From the great lengths went through to gain such a profound creativity, to the time spent in solitary with just his own thoughts and music, this album is on a level all its own. With such an epic release, we are extremely excited to see what the future holds for this dedicated artist.
