Cemetary

The first new Cemetary album since 2000, in many ways Phantasma seems a logical culmination of Cemetary’s 13-year trajectory. Entirely the work of band founder Matthias Lodmalm, and developed over the course of four years, the album (like its kaleidoscopic cover) is a collage, melding the goth rock, electronica, industrial and metal that have all entered the Cemetary mix at one time or another. Despite a strong groove and some interesting percussion, Phantasma doesn’t really wow you right away, and one of the coolest tracks, "Drowning Out the World,” doesn’t come until the whole thing’s nearly over. But with its prevailing atmosphere of negativity, which is no more surprising than its cross-genre sound, Phantasma would be a good soundtrack choice when it’s time to wallow in misanthropy.