Hot off the heels of their “Return Of The Goat” EP, Norwegian Black-Speed Metallers PHANTOM FIRE unleash their debut album, set for release via Edged Circle Production on October 22nd.
Jumping into action with grim riffing and upbeat drums, the immediate punch of old school Speed Metal is underlined with roaring bass thunder that rumbles along with so much groove that the biting guitars jump through gloriously. The blackened edge comes primarily from the harsher vocals which add that frostbitten Nordic touch to the music as blast beats and tremolo picked riffing ensues. Blending that with Speed Metal to create something sleazy and venomous but still ultimately extreme, there is a strong atmosphere of darkness but in a pre-90s fashion, rather than the more familiar second wave Norwegian style, preferring to delve further back in time with their influences. Of course Norway has just as many great Thrash / Speed Metal bands as Black Metal bands, (for the uninitiated: Deathhammer, Condor, Toxik Death, Evoke and the more obvious Aura Noir, to name a mere few). Here the thing that drives the music is definitely a strong drum and bass guitar performance but do not fear, the lead axe is not lost, rather accentuated by such a powerful rhythm section to allow a scathing performance that fits more evenly with the vocals than the other instruments in terms of mix. This is definitely a much more Motorhead-like sound than that of the Teutonic Thrash inspired bands I mentioned earlier. Definitely a strong and memorable opening.
Forging further on, the energetic jumps from song to song gives a tasteful mix of groove with gritty sleazy and pure maniacal force. Clearly these guys have some punk influences that make me think of fellow Norwegians Slegest, while Phantom Fire definitely have a more fast assault than Slegest’s doomy crawl. There is a definite creepy feeling to the album which is rather unique, yet fits surprisingly well. Ultimately, Phantom Fire seem like they could be the soundtrack to some obscure 70s SciFi Horror but without the gimmicks. We definitely see some more Doom-tinged moments and psychedelia on “Pihsrow” which is by far the strangest song on the album, imagine a Black-Doom version of Hawkwind. An interesting piece that best showcases this not being a particularly simple album despite its easy to get in to sound.
When I reviewed the EP, I said it felt like unfinished business. I definitely hit the mark (if I do say so myself), as this album is a far bigger picture than I anticipated and really outdid themselves with the expansion on their sound while sticking true to the old school mania they started out with. Definitely a worthwhile listen for all, especially the fans of traditional Heavy Metal with some prog and doom injected into the formula.
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