After a trio of demo recordings and a split project with Kill Witch, Malicious Intent, Anti-Criss and Praefator, Mexican thrashers Phantom finally released a full-length album in 2023. Put simply, this is the sort of lethal assault that used to turn up on mid-80s speed metal compilations whereby said artist would rip your ears off then disappear, never to return. Guadalajara-based Phantom has that vicious vintage flavour; scathing, zipping bursts of spiteful energy that frantically weave their wiry way through your veins with acidic aplomb. It’s essentially no frills nastiness but with a vigour and vim channelled through frothing riffs and ravenous percussion. The whole torrential downpour is headed by the usual vocal lashing from J.C. Necrohex, but on the whole it’s such an enjoyable. The tracks are driven by raw streaks of hellish hostility. In a time machine is this gem in the racks alongside Hallows Eve, Sentinel Beast et al; a lo-fi yet ripping entity sure to raise the dead.
