Pharmakon- Maggot Mass
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Pharmakon’s "Maggot Mass", the fifth full-length album by Margaret Chardiet, opens in an unexpected yet deeply unsettling way: the quiet crunch of footsteps, the persistent buzzing of flies, instantly conjuring the image of approaching a decaying body. This immersive, disorienting introduction sets the stage for the sonic journey to follow. From the very first sound, Chardiet masterfully pulls us into her visceral and challenging world—a world that’s as much about confronting the human condition as it is about exploring the rawest edges of sound.
Having witnessed Margaret’s live performance during the XVII Wrocław Industrial Festival, I can attest that the Pharmakon experience is one-of-a-kind. Her presence on stage felt like a shamanic ritual—cathartic, raw, and intensely physical. It was as if the music, her voice, and the atmosphere combined to create a transformative, almost spiritual encounter. That same ritualistic intensity bleeds into every track of "Maggot Mass", making this album not just an auditory experience but a deeply emotional one.
The album begins with WITHER AND WARP, where Chardiet’s voice cuts through the jarring electronics like a high priestess summoning the listener into a realm of discomfort and challenge. The track is primal, full of distortion and aggression, with her vocals sounding both ancient and modern, like an incantation in the middle of a ritual we’re not sure we should be witnessing. The noise, at times violent, is both oppressive and captivating, like being trapped in a sonic storm. There’s no escape, but you don’t want to leave either.
METHANAL DOLL continues to push the boundaries of vocal manipulation. Here, Chardiet shifts from chant-like incantations to screams that feel both painful and necessary, as though she’s physically shaping the air with her voice. The track builds and transforms, keeping the listener teetering on the edge between fascination and discomfort, a hallmark of Pharmakon’s unique approach to sound.
By the time we reach BUYER'S REMORSE, the intensity has reached a fever pitch. The relentless bursts of noise and shrill tones are both piercing and hypnotic, daring the listener to continue despite the discomfort. It's as if the track reflects the very essence of regret—something painful yet compulsive, something you can’t turn away from.
Then there’s SPLENDID ISOLATION, a track that leans into technical experimentation. The sound here is less about a coherent message and more about creating an irregular, unpredictable space. It feels like the very structure of sound is unraveling before our ears. The dissonance, the slowness—it’s an exercise in pushing boundaries, with each note pulling you further into an abyss where noise and emotion are inseparable.
The final track, OILED ANIMALS, offers a strange kind of solace. Though it’s the "gentlest" of the album, there’s nothing soft about it. Instead, it feels like the calm after a violent storm, a moment to reflect on the chaos that preceded it. It closes the album in a full-circle effect, evoking the same eerie feelings that began the journey—yet offering a sense of closure, a space for the listener to breathe, though still uneasy.
"Maggot Mass" is not an easy listen, and it’s not meant to be. Like all of Pharmakon’s work, it demands something from the listener. Just as Chardiet’s live performances blur the line between artist and audience, drawing you into her cathartic release, this album refuses to let you remain passive. It challenges you to engage, to confront uncomfortable truths about humanity, death, and the environment.
Thematically, "Maggot Mass" grapples with our dysfunctional relationship with the natural world and the isolation we impose upon ourselves by placing humanity above other life forms. Chardiet’s lyrics question the very fabric of existence: "What peace can we make with privilege when the true cost of our comfort is not measured in dollars but in death?" This existential dread permeates the album, making it not just a sonic experience but a philosophical one.
Chardiet asks us to reconsider the hierarchy we place ourselves in—at the top, over nature, over death—and turns that idea on its head. If we measured worth by contribution to the ecosystem, could we truly claim to be more valuable than the maggots that break down decay into new life? The maggots, the silent recyclers of death, contribute more to the planet’s life cycle than humanity ever could in its exploitative state. In these reflections, Chardiet challenges us to confront the uncomfortable reality of our existence—one that we often choose to ignore.
At its core, "Maggot Mass" is about death, decay, and rebirth—concepts that feel all the more relevant in an age of environmental crisis. Margaret Chardiet explores the beauty in decay, the possibility of renewal through destruction, and the need to return something to the earth rather than simply taking. In this way, the album becomes a deeply philosophical meditation on life, death, and our place in the cycle of existence.
Pharmakon's "Maggot Mass" is a monumental challenge for the listener—emotionally, intellectually, and sonically. It’s not an album you put on for casual enjoyment; it’s a confrontation, a sonic interrogation that forces you to think, to feel, and to reckon with the darker aspects of life.
Tracklist:
1. WITHER AND WARP
2. METHANAL DOLL
3. BUYER'S REMORSE
4. SPLENDID ISOLATION
5. OILED ANIMALS
https://pharmakon.bandcamp.com/album/maggot-mass?from=fanpub_fnb_pr
Release date: 04.10.2024
Label: Sacred Bones Records
Having witnessed Margaret’s live performance during the XVII Wrocław Industrial Festival, I can attest that the Pharmakon experience is one-of-a-kind. Her presence on stage felt like a shamanic ritual—cathartic, raw, and intensely physical. It was as if the music, her voice, and the atmosphere combined to create a transformative, almost spiritual encounter. That same ritualistic intensity bleeds into every track of "Maggot Mass", making this album not just an auditory experience but a deeply emotional one.
The album begins with WITHER AND WARP, where Chardiet’s voice cuts through the jarring electronics like a high priestess summoning the listener into a realm of discomfort and challenge. The track is primal, full of distortion and aggression, with her vocals sounding both ancient and modern, like an incantation in the middle of a ritual we’re not sure we should be witnessing. The noise, at times violent, is both oppressive and captivating, like being trapped in a sonic storm. There’s no escape, but you don’t want to leave either.
METHANAL DOLL continues to push the boundaries of vocal manipulation. Here, Chardiet shifts from chant-like incantations to screams that feel both painful and necessary, as though she’s physically shaping the air with her voice. The track builds and transforms, keeping the listener teetering on the edge between fascination and discomfort, a hallmark of Pharmakon’s unique approach to sound.
By the time we reach BUYER'S REMORSE, the intensity has reached a fever pitch. The relentless bursts of noise and shrill tones are both piercing and hypnotic, daring the listener to continue despite the discomfort. It's as if the track reflects the very essence of regret—something painful yet compulsive, something you can’t turn away from.
Then there’s SPLENDID ISOLATION, a track that leans into technical experimentation. The sound here is less about a coherent message and more about creating an irregular, unpredictable space. It feels like the very structure of sound is unraveling before our ears. The dissonance, the slowness—it’s an exercise in pushing boundaries, with each note pulling you further into an abyss where noise and emotion are inseparable.
The final track, OILED ANIMALS, offers a strange kind of solace. Though it’s the "gentlest" of the album, there’s nothing soft about it. Instead, it feels like the calm after a violent storm, a moment to reflect on the chaos that preceded it. It closes the album in a full-circle effect, evoking the same eerie feelings that began the journey—yet offering a sense of closure, a space for the listener to breathe, though still uneasy.
"Maggot Mass" is not an easy listen, and it’s not meant to be. Like all of Pharmakon’s work, it demands something from the listener. Just as Chardiet’s live performances blur the line between artist and audience, drawing you into her cathartic release, this album refuses to let you remain passive. It challenges you to engage, to confront uncomfortable truths about humanity, death, and the environment.
Thematically, "Maggot Mass" grapples with our dysfunctional relationship with the natural world and the isolation we impose upon ourselves by placing humanity above other life forms. Chardiet’s lyrics question the very fabric of existence: "What peace can we make with privilege when the true cost of our comfort is not measured in dollars but in death?" This existential dread permeates the album, making it not just a sonic experience but a philosophical one.
Chardiet asks us to reconsider the hierarchy we place ourselves in—at the top, over nature, over death—and turns that idea on its head. If we measured worth by contribution to the ecosystem, could we truly claim to be more valuable than the maggots that break down decay into new life? The maggots, the silent recyclers of death, contribute more to the planet’s life cycle than humanity ever could in its exploitative state. In these reflections, Chardiet challenges us to confront the uncomfortable reality of our existence—one that we often choose to ignore.
At its core, "Maggot Mass" is about death, decay, and rebirth—concepts that feel all the more relevant in an age of environmental crisis. Margaret Chardiet explores the beauty in decay, the possibility of renewal through destruction, and the need to return something to the earth rather than simply taking. In this way, the album becomes a deeply philosophical meditation on life, death, and our place in the cycle of existence.
Pharmakon's "Maggot Mass" is a monumental challenge for the listener—emotionally, intellectually, and sonically. It’s not an album you put on for casual enjoyment; it’s a confrontation, a sonic interrogation that forces you to think, to feel, and to reckon with the darker aspects of life.
Tracklist:
1. WITHER AND WARP
2. METHANAL DOLL
3. BUYER'S REMORSE
4. SPLENDID ISOLATION
5. OILED ANIMALS
https://pharmakon.bandcamp.com/album/maggot-mass?from=fanpub_fnb_pr
Release date: 04.10.2024
Label: Sacred Bones Records
