A Bathory album of panoramic yet claustrophobic Viking metal that creaks like a chainmailed soldier of doom riding high atop weathered maritime planks.
What makes it good instead of just interesting is the use of distortion, vacuum cleaning, fuzz/space, and exploratory “free rock” to open up and connect.
The fourth studio effort, the first time the band were able to spend more than a couple of days on an album, which may account for the more polished sound.
Phoenix is where Grand Funk began to lose the way. There are some worthwhile moments, but the songwriting feels uninspired and the playing is lethargic.