Phantom is a speed/thrash metal band from Guadalajara, Mexico, formed in 2021 as a project just for fun. After having cut their teeth on three demos and a split album with four likeminded groups, the four-piece released their debut full-length “Handed to Execution”, which was followed one year later by the EP “Transylvanian Nightmare”. While both were well-received by critics and fans alike, PHANTOM now up the ante with their second album, Tyrants of Wrath.

Tyrants of Wrath invokes the unholiest incantations of the speed and thrash metal grimoires. Occasionally veering into black metal territory with its blasphemous fervor and evil ferocity, the album is a veritable carnival ride of twisted delights. No two songs here sound properly the same, and yet the album as a whole has a distinct flavor, even when the songs detour into truly unexpected territory. When they launch into a thrash riff, it is exhilarating, and when they don’t, things just get intriguing. And, speaking of the thrash riffs, there are a ton of them, and they never stay around long enough to get even slightly boring. A triumph of an album, Tyrants of Wrath has got me begging for more. If you like your thrash dark, dirty, and blurringly fast – think Razor, Whiplash, early Sepultura, Dark Angel, and Slayer – then Tyrants of Wrath is a must-hear record.  

Review

Poltergeist opens the album like a crypt with a tolling bell and eerie organ chords that swell until arcane guitar arpeggios enter to give both an evil and epic feel to things. Already the guitar wizardry on display is engrossing. The Tower of Seth follows quickly on the heels of this introduction, delivering a blast of unhinged and damned fun thrash metal. It’s hard to imagine someone playing any of these guitar riffs without sweating their asses off. In true old school thrash style, the chorus is repeated by a shouting crowd. This was a smart choice for both a single and an album opener: The Tower of Seth immediately sets the stage for the album with exciting thrash riffs, breakneck drumming, and J.C. García’s exhilarating shouts and wails.  

Violent Invasion leaps right into action with a lightning-fast guitar riff before a despicably engrossing solo bursts onto the scene about a minute in. Another minute whips by and the drums nearly have trouble keeping up with the whiplash guitar riffs: that little bit of tempo mismatch lasts for only a second, but it gives a ton of character to the track, really making you feel like this thing could fly off the rails before diving back into yet another power thrashing riff. The track closes with lively guitar chugs that give some great texture to the track before it comes slamming to a close.

Thunderbeast opens like a funhouse version of “Thunderstruck” – how fun! – before bursting into another speed metal attack.  Gang chanted vocals invoke the title beast while a ripping guitar riff blasts underneath. Like so many of the most enticing moments on the album, Thunderbeast invokes proto-thrash at its most unhinged and primordial stage: the off-the-rails feel of speed metal coupled with thrash’s spear-point attack is an intoxicating combination.

Nimbus delivers the album’s first major directional change, opening with ringing chords before propelling into a relatively slower (but certainly not slow) double bass riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Manilla Road track. And, surprise, the vocals follow suit: García drones out sung passages that call to mind the great Mark Shelton. I did not expect Phantom to launch, mid-album, into a USPM banger, but this song somehow also fits the mood of the rest of the album with its ferocious guitar attack and all around gloomy tone. A definite album highlight.

Dance of the Spiders maintains the lugubrious mood of Nimbus, opening with slowly plucked, ringing guitars drenched in funereal reverb. Enter Raír Tavizón’s burly bass guitar echoing the guitar arpeggio and some inventive drumming by J.P. Alatorre. Throughout the album, the drums really direct the listener’s attention from idea to idea, and there are tons of them on this record. A blackened thrash metal riff in the chorus bounces back and forth between punky drums in the verses, giving this track the feeling of constant motion.  

Tyrants of Wrath jumps right into a dirty thrash riff over which García wails and squeals. The shortest track on the album save the introductory track, Tyrants of Wrath delivers on the album’s title, cover, and overall aesthetic: this is frenetic thrash metal played with the reckless attitude of speed metal and the villainous mood of black metal. García’s vocals barely keep up with the whiplash speed of the thrashing mad riffage, adding the character of a live performance to the tune.

Lost in the Sands accelerates into its own riff, a swirling vortex of blistering guitar and hammering drums. The shouted chorus is easy to imagine screamed by an intoxicated crowd in a sweaty room in some dingy bar in hell. Perhaps the fastest song on the album so far, Lost in the Sands flys by but not without leaving its mark. Something about the shouted song title over the blasting music underneath is invigorating every time. Another track I look forward to on each repeat listen.

Nocturnal Opus 666 is another jolt of a turn: an off-kilter piano ballad! Somehow this song fits right in, though it is perhaps a minute or so too long. Nevertheless, it fits right in, echoing the funeral bells and churchy organ that opens the album. There is a twisted kind of humor at play here, a nearly three-and-a-half minute piano solo played with an ironic grin.  

I know I’ve talked at length about how fast these songs are, but Nazghul kicks things off with a truly evil sounding mid-tempo riff before letting loose with what must be the quickest tempo on the album. Plunging into a warp-speed blackened thrash riff, the song eases up on the gas only to take us into an entrancing guitar solo before launching back into its furious verse. Vocals here bring the song to new heights, with García shouting, screeching, and wailing over the proceedings. Perhaps the most wicked sounding track on the album, and that’s saying something. Still, the guitar solo in the mid-section manages to sound huge and triumphant, a nice counterpoint to the villainous and blazing fast riffs that come before and after.     

Dark Wings of Death closes out Tyrants of Wrath with an epic of a thrash song. After booming drums and chugging guitars open the track, the guitars go silent while the bass and drums beat out a double-time speed metal riff before the guitars enter again. Kicking off these fantastic riffs with just the rhythm section really gets the blood pumping before the track launches into its many verses. There are just too many cool ideas to fully get into here – listen for yourself to see what I mean. This track is addicting, a smorgasbord of chunky riffage, tempo switches, and tonal changes. Power metal, black metal, and thrash riffs careen off each other, and yet it all feels surprisingly cohesive. Dark Wings of Death may well be the best song on the album. Without question the perfect choice to close out the album.

Conclusion

Despite its run time of nearly 50 minutes, the songs on Tyrants of Wrath don’t overstay their welcome and never let up on the manic fun. Each song, including the gloomy introduction and darkly psychedelic piano concerto, comes fully loaded with character, atmosphere, and a kind of dark humor. The proper thrash songs here are just that: devilish reckonings with speed and fury. Detours into speed metal, black metal, and even the doomed power metal of Manilla Road keep things interesting, but really at the end of the day Tyrants of Wrath is a celebration of thrash, its wicked fervor and its demon’s grin at life’s turmoil. Every track is chock full of musical ideas played with conviction, attitude, and reckless abandon. The cart may veer dangerously close to the edge of the track, but that’s exactly the fun of the ride. In fact, I haven’t had this much fun listening to thrash yet this year. Highly recommended.

TheNWOTHM Score: 9.5/10 

Links

Bandcamp: https://phantombandgdl.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phantommetalband/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phantom__speed/?hl=en

Label: https://www.hrrecords.de/

Out 25 April 2025

Line-up:
J.C. García – Vocals, Guitars
Harel O. – Guitars
Raír Tavizón – Bass
J. P. Alatorre – Drums