PHANTOM

In Mexico, they like their metal the classic way: with plenty of leather, spikes and skulls! And it is often the younger bands who respect metal tradition the most. That brings us to PHANTOM from Guadalajara. These guys sound like they just rode in from 1985, playing a mix of blazing speed metal and traditional metal sounds. One look at the cover of their new album “Tyrants of Wrath” tells you exactly what they are all about!

I got together with manic vocalist/guitarist J.C. Necrohex to discuss the rise of PHANTOM, the state of Mexican metal and the band’s many influences. Get yourself a cold bottle of cerveza and prepare to enter the spectral realm!

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES:. Greetings and hails, J.C.! Thanks for talking to us! I understand PHANTOM has only been around since 2021. Is this the first band for you and your mates or do you have experience in other bands?

J.C. NECROHEX: Greetings! Thanks to you for the space here. Yes, PHANTOM has been around since 2021, it’s the first band I’ve ever been in. Same for our other guitarist, Harel too. As for our drummer and bassist ,they have been in other projects before but nothing serious, mainly covers.

WC:  When did you know you wanted to play speed metal instead of other music? What band or album inspired you to take this path?

JCN: I’ve always been into this type of music or at least near it, since my dad, uncles ,and even one of my grandparents are into metal, so this music has surrounded me throughout all my life. I wanted to make this music because I think it’s better than everything the modern “metal scene” consists of today. Old school is the only way!, Some of the bands that are our main inspirations are RAZOR, SLAYER, VENOM, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, SODOM, VIOLENT FORCE, PILEDRIVER, IRON MAIDEN, MEGADETH, MERCILESS, SLAUGHTER LORD, etc etc.

WC: Is the metal scene in Guadalajara pretty strong or did you have to look elsewhere to find like-minded musicians?

JCN: I had to look elsewhere. There’s a big metal scene here but back then I didn’t know anybody, and also there’s a lot of drama and whack situations here and there with most people, or just people that don’t meet the standards I want of someone as a bandmate. So i looked to closer places with likeminded friends, and people that I know can play.

WC: I know bands don’t like to put themselves in a box, but how would you describe PHANTOM’s sound? There is a certain difference between speed metal and thrash metal and to me, PHANTOM seems more speed metal.

JCN: We try to mix both, and even add touches of other subgenres like Deathrash, Punk, First Wave Black metal, etc., We use more the “speed metal” flag as the 80’s Banzai records did, as a label for anything extreme, fast, and evil.

WC: “Tyrants of Wrath” is a really well rounded album with different sounds and influences. How important was it to you to have a lot of variety on the record?

JCN: A lot! The main intention of this new record is for it to sound as a rollercoaster of old school metal styles and genres, a frenzy, mixing every influence we have in a big soup.

WC: The most unusual track has to be “Nimbus” with the vocals being so much lower than the rest of the album. Do you enjoy the lower vocals and do you plan to use more of them in the future?

JCN: It’s a song dedicated to my grandpa from my dad’s side, Jorge García, who unfortunately passed away in 2022. He would always tell me to name a song “Nimbus” so I finally did it, and it’s also a song in the vein of some of our older heavy metal influences like MAIDEN, HEAVY LOAD, GOTHAM CITY, MANILLA ROAD, etc.

WC:  You’re also not afraid of using piano and keyboards. The track “Nocturnal Opus 666” could probably be played at a classical music show with no problem. Do you see more keys in PHANTOM’s future? It can be a tricky thing...too much keyboard and you can lose your edge.

JCN: Yes, absolutely, we loved the result. Of course we don’t want to abuse it and become one of those more keybords-than-guitars bands, it’s just for moments of tension or particular ambience  but not for more types of actual songs. It’s an element we use to bring more that whole Castlevania/vampires theme we use a lot.

WC:The record ends with two more epic tracks, “Nazghul” and “Dark Wings of Death”. Could you ever see PHANTOM doing a really long song or even a concept album?

JCN: We loved to write those songs! We will definitely write long songs like that again, even what you mention, a concept album. It is a recurrent topic in our talks, so it may happen.