Phantasm

Haven't seen Ravager yet, the fifth and final installment of the Phantasm franchise, but I had an itch to review this album before that, Netherland's death metallers Funeral Whore's second LP, since I listened to it right when it was dropped in 2016. That was the year The Tall Man himself passed away in real life, as Angus Scrimm left this world on January the 9th. To pay homage and draw inspiration from such a cult horror franchise and its iconic actor/fictional villain is something more metal bands should attempt. Of course, Funeral Whore wasn't the first one, as probably 99.9% of the metalheads are aware how Entombed sampled the series spooky main theme into the title-track of their famed 1990 debut, Left Hand Path. But the Dutchmen's second release goes a bit further in exploring Phantasm's mythos, and that makes it quite attractive thematically, as it's a bit more edgy than the well-trodden themes usually found in the average old school death metal revival album.

Phantasm carries over the sound from the band's 2012 debut, Step into Damnation, which to my surprise was released by a Mexican label specialized in death metal, Tabasco-based Chaos Records. As with that debut, Entombed remains an obvious influence in the sophomore, featuring grainy, malevolent riffs and forceful d-beats similar to what is found on Clandestine, but unlike other contemporary bands like Entrails, the Dutchmen don't exclusively rely on the sound of the Stockholm band, instead mixing in other influences. There's plenty of that crushing death/doom pioneered by the likes of Autopsy and Incantation, and a belligerent aggression found in early Bolt Thrower, as the band on occasions summons a robust wall of sound and guitarist/vocalist Roy Steinfort reminds me a bit of Karl Willetts (in his pre-Memoriam youth). A death metal feminine presence also helps to make the connection more evident, for the brief but phantasmagoric leads are the work or axewoman Kellie Chopper, and she does a very good job. Her best solo here by my account is on “Only the Coffins Remain”.

As with their debut, there are many samples scattered across the album, only this time all of them are plucked from the Phantasm movies. If you haven't seen any of the movies, don’t worry. As long as you enjoy old school death metal, you'll do fine here. You just need to know phrases like the Tall Man yelling 'Booooooy!' are gold for us who love this horror franchise. If you can decipher the growls you'll learn even more about the world of the Tall Man, his dwarf zombie slaves, the Lurkers, his dreaded killer chromed spheres, named Sentinels, and the few humans who dare stand against him and his minions; Mike, Jody and Reggie. The lyrics are good and suitable, not overtly narrative, they're kept simple and focus on the supernatural and creepy elements from the movies, as a good source of inspiration for a death metal album.

The production job is pretty good, dark and engrossing. I prefer it over the one from their debut, which it isn't bad either, only a tiny notch muddier. My only complaint in sound here is that the samples' volume is quite low compared to the music, and that hurts the transition a little. I wish they were equalized as I believe they'd have greater impact. A minor flaw anyway, considering the important thing about Phantasm is that the music kicks ass, and the tunes are solid specimens of the old school variety. Sure, these guys' style is pretty straightforward and once you hear a couple of their compositions you can pretty much picture the rest, but like they say, if it ain't broken… The songs do have enough variety to avoid becoming totally dull. The formula might be quite simple, but the results are engaging enough.

My favorite tracks are opener “Phantasm”, which has the iconic main theme as an intro as well as a part of Entombed's metallized version (a double tribute right there!), then picking up speed and givin' way to the actual tune. “The Tall Man” has a headbangeable and groovy mid-paced cadence and a satisfying wailing solo, whereas “Down the Abyss” combines the fast drive of the opener with the mid-paced heaviness of slower compositions. I'm also no that excited about the cover artwork, finding it a bit amateurish, but aside from that and the low volume of the samples, this is a fine piece of old school death metal, closer in sound to the Stockholm scene without becoming too derivative. Recommended, as well as their debut. The Tall Man approves.