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Phantoms

    
       
       
       
     
             
Pandemic are a thrash metal band from Poland formed in 2015, who've to date released one E.P. - 'Deaf Nite' (2018), and two albums - 'Crooked Mirror' (2023) and 'Phantoms' (2024).    
             
The four-piece thrash metal machine from Krakow are hellbent on delivering old school, yet modern thrash with blistering speed and a tonne of head bang ability - the bands sophomore album 'Phantoms', thirty eight minutes and eight songs that criss-cross the genres of speed and traditional metal along with (of course) thrash. The title song 'Phantoms' sets the album on its way at a scorching speed, Pandemic roaring loud as they shudder the ground with a devastating amount of force - every listener everywhere raising their heads high to see just where in the hell this burst of ferocious energy is coming from! From Krakow in Poland that's where, the four-piece metal outfit storming on with even more pace courtesy of 'Greatest Of Sinners' - the entire mosh pit fraternity rocking their heads back and forth at an extremely high rate of knots! An absolutely barnstorming opening double to get the adrenaline flowing fast and hearts beating faster.    
             
The band march on with the more traditional metal sounding 'Under Gypsy's Spell', the iconic gallop coming to the fore as Pandemic shudder the ground with immense force - the heaviness felt over the albums first two songs paling into comparison with the heavy, thunder driven 'Under Gypsy's Spell'. The energy too is off the charts, 'Phantoms' (the album) spitting venom like a black-necked spitting-cobra - although apparently, the spitting-cobra actually ejects more venom during a bite than spitting! Who knew! Biologists and zoologists I guess - who better get their arses to Krakow in order to study a new breed of animal with ferocious pace, a loud roar and incredible attraction! Pandemic roar on with 'Bane Of Brook Hall', featuring a vocal lead from (fellow Polish metallers) Pursuer frontman Mayheer - 'Bane Of Brook Hall' rocketing forth like a rocket blasting off! And with just as much explosive energy too, the band breaking every speed limit as every single mosh pit around the world turns into a sea of maniacal head bang metalheads! 'Santa Muerte' - "Santa Meurte" translates to Holy Death or Saint Death, is "a personification of death usually represented as a female skeletal figure dressed in a long robe or cloak and holding a scythe or globe" - across its first fifteen seconds has the upbeat and infectious nature of traditional Mexican music, the band slamming the hammer down with a vengeance to storm off at high velocity! The speed here is phenomenal, Pandemic going supersonic to deliver the fastest song heard so far, the level of head bang ability rising higher and higher!    
             
A full on and in your face barrage of thrash, 'Phantoms' (the album) has been unstoppable since it began, the Polish four-piece maintaining the all conquering intensity with the foot to the floor thrasher 'The Last Road' - every listener, fan and follower wrecking their necks in order to head bang fast enough just to keep pace with the band! Yea, good luck with that then - the band moving forward with unrelenting power as 'Thralls Of The Crescent' enters the fray with a tonne of ferocity! And after just forty seconds the band introduce the gloomy doom metal of legends Black Sabbath - all the way back to the seventies too! 'Sabbath as we know, are arguably the founders of heavy metal, Pandemic bringing 'Sabbath's (early days) sound forward fifty years and weaving it into their own thrash metal roots! The album is brought to a close by the longest song on offer, '...the Horde' clocking in at six and a half minutes in length, the band rumbling like a thunderstorm to deliver a speedy thrash metal romp.     
             
Overall, a fast, fierce, and unforgiving thrash metal rampage boasting a sky high level of head bang ability.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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