ALBUM REVIEW: Not Midnight Yet – Phantom
If METALLICA, SODOM and DARK ANGEL had an orgy and nine months later a band was born, that band would be PHANTOM. The Mexican speed and thrash metal unit are about to release their third album in three years, and with its deep coffin full of tyrannical riffs and enough twists and turns to give the uninitiated whiplash, Not Midnight Yet may indeed prove to be the most solid PHANTOM record yet. If you thought their previous record, Tyrants of Wrath, was a bountiful massacre of 80s metal madness, Not Midnight Yet will send your head rolling.
“The soul and core of what PHANTOM stands for is old school heavy metal,” explains mastermind vocalist and guitarist J.C. García. “This record puts together very well everything that we are. Because of that, I think this is a juggernaut of an album.” PHANTOM keep the old school spirit alive and bumping, while injecting the essence of metal rebellion into their music by breaking formulas and adding layer upon layer of progressive personality and occultish atmosphere. So atmospheric, in fact, that when the first organ note of the album strikes, the thought of “have I stumbled onto The Phantom Of The Opera‘s stage?” may well flit across a few minds. But this is swiftly replaced by the feeling of walking into a haunted house only to be ambushed by a rabies-infested Horde Of Bats. These 5 and a half minutes of being hounded by a cacophony of riff-driven frenzy ensure that no matter what follows, you’ve already uttered at least one “wow” at these twenty-year-old Mexican thrash tyrants.
Riffs swirl with as much snarling charisma as they do menacing speed in Out Of The Mausoleum, before the organ returns (phew) in Dracula’s Curse and adds whispers of whimsical macabre to PHANTOM’s relentless thrash hustle. They slam on the throttle in Summoned To Kill, the breathy growls and falsetto shrieks to rival SLAYER’s Tom Araya surfing a tsunami of speed metal ripped straight from the golden era. But you’re just as likely to hear maniacal laughter as you are soaring guitar solos, and in no track is this as possessing as on the title track. García’s axe wizardry screeches in and out before Not Midnight Yet can come to a close in a solo that threatens to slice some skin off.
Uno, dos, tres, quatro, it’s time for an acoustic guitar intro that’s diabolical in its haunting prowess – PHANTOM are at it again, smashing through old-school formulas. Then, once the what-are-you-doing-here question has been begged, Curse Your Name morphs into a bouncing battle of shouts and wails alongside MAIDEN-esque melodies and vivacity. Not Midnight Yet takes you on a voyage through majestic, skeletal, and cursed lands, and at a juicy total of 56 minutes, raises its knee-high leather black boot and stomps on the 40-minute average length for speed and thrash metal albums. By the time Echoes From The Fights slams its fists on the table of this vampire speed metal feast, there’s only one thought left: let’s hope midnight never comes, because the last thing anyone wants is for PHANTOM’s third album to ever turn into a pumpkin.
Rating: 9/10
Not Midnight Yet is set for release on June 26th via High Roller Records.
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