“D˃E˃A˃T˃H˃M˃E˃T˃A˃L” by Panchiko was released in 2000 after a person had found the album disc in a charity shop and decided to share it online due to its unique sound. After this, the band decided to come out and start making music again because so many people loved the shoegaze album.
Panchiko has five members: Owain Davies, Andy Wright, Shaun Ferreday, John Schofield, and Rob Harris. The album “D˃E˃A˃T˃H˃M˃E˃T˃A˃L” was created when all the members were around 16 to 17 years old.
The first song on the album, “D˃E˃A˃T˃H˃M˃E˃T˃A˃L,” has an absolutely amazing instrumental with Davies singing in a melancholic tone. I especially love how the instrumental varies in this song, yet the tone remains the same.
The third song, “Laputa,” is one of my favorites on the album. The mournful tone really hits the heart as Davies sings the lyrics from his soul.
“The Eyes of Ibad” starts off with a scratchy instrumental, transforming into a pensive lyrical disposition. This is my second favorite, as the scratchy undertones put together with the wistful overtones make it a wonderful listen.
“CUT” has a faster pace at the start with a somewhat whiny instrumental. The lyrics from Davies match the instrumental, with his tone having slightly optimistic undertones.
The sixth song, “Sodium Chloride,” begins with a guitar from Wright which contributes to this song’s much more upbeat tone compared to the rest of the album. This song is a very good starting point for those who want to start listening to Panchiko.
My favorite song on the album is “Kicking Cars.” This song is absolutely stunning with wistful lyrics and instrumentals combining perfectly.
The next four songs are renditions of the first four that pay homage to when a user online found their album. On that disk the user found, the scratches on it made all the songs quieter and had a loud scratchy sound, which many people found interesting and unique. These songs are called the “R>O>T” versions.
Canyon High School student, Vince Reyes, said that he thinks D˃E˃A˃T˃H˃M˃E˃T˃A˃L is a “9/10 album, ‘Sodium Chloride’ is the best song on the album,” and I would have to agree with his rating. This album is amazing, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the shoegaze genre.
