Phideaux
Doomsday Afternoon

If it is true that to reach a masterpiece one must undertake a climb of attempts and sufferings, Phideauxx has succeeded on the sixth step.
After producing five albums in four years that were decidedly pleasant and appreciable, but not memorable, in 2007 he released "Doomsday Afternoon", where all the musical ingredients are mixed in the best combinations, in a rock that is now decidedly progressive, more refined, and certainly more virtuous than the previous chapters. It is useless but inevitable to cite the sources of inspiration, from Camel to Pink Floyd, from Genesis to Marillion.

Phideaux - it is not a terrible moniker, but a surname, that of Xavier Phideaux, indeed - from the height of his experience as a composer and multi-instrumentalist, manages to perfectly weave the core of the song with what surrounds it, what is the message and everything that can be implemented to communicate it perfectly, with a great emotional impact on the listener, who is dragged through various moods within a few minutes.
Nothing is out of place, nothing is exaggerated, the eye of the composer is evident: he knows when an instrument must enter and when it must be silent. Doomsday Afternoon is the synthesis of the perfect balance between musical elements.

The album, divided into two acts of five tracks each, with a total duration of 70 minutes, is a concept (obviously) and at least in its intentions should be the second of a trilogy started with "The Great Leap", with main themes such as the ecological problem, without trivializing it, and modern absolutism in Orwellian style.

The opening track, "Micro Softdeathstar", with its over 11 minutes immediately reveals the compositional expertise and the perfect fitting of the string arrangements: real, very real, and always inserted at the right moment, without making a mess or abuse of them. Gems that are set in the delicate crown of tracks, already enriched by Phideaux's unmistakable voice and the soothing one of Ariel Farber.

The first part of the classical "The Doctrine of Eternal Ice" captivates until it softens the tones with the folk and delicate "Candybrain", tormented by guitars and synthesizers, and which preludes to the enchanting "Crumble", an instrumental announcement to "Crumble" of Act 2, absolutely identical but enhanced by Ariel Farber's touching voice. The first act closes with the second part of Doctrine.

"Thank You For The Evil" opens the second act with a reprise of the first: Phideaux takes the whole scene with voice, guitars, and synth "à la Welcome to the Machine" and a more general reference to late '70s Pink Floyd, very marked in the track's closure.

The instrumental "A Wasteland of Memories" and the previously mentioned "Crumble", a small and ecstatic idyllic parenthesis, however simplistic in a decidedly elaborate context, prepare for the grand finale of "Formaldehyde" and "Microdeath Softstar", which in fifteen minutes retraces the album from its genesis, playing not only with the words of the title but also with the melodies that are here disassembled, reconstructed, and proposed again in an ultimate excellent reinterpretation, which allows without difficulty to consider the album with the attention and pleasure of someone who has in front of them, if not a masterpiece, at least a rare pearl.

"Doomsday Afternoon", 2007
Total duration 66:59

Act One
1 "Micro Softdeathstar" - 11:17
2 "The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part One)" - 3:01
3 "Candybrain" - 4:06
4 "Crumble" - 2:55
5 "The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part Two)" - 8:08

Act Two
1. "Thank You For The Evil" - 9:18
2. "A Wasteland Of Memories" - 2:22
3. "Crumble" - 2:55
4. "Formaldehyde" - 8:17
5. "Microdeath Softstar" - 14:40