Album Review: Phantom – Not Midnight Yet
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Upon thoroughly enjoying their sophomore album and learning Not Midnight Yet would release for a June 26th date, I was ecstatic to see Phantom return so soon with more Mexican thrash. Formed in 2021 out of Guadalajara, Phantom play a fusion of speed and thrash metal that set eyes ablaze with the release of their second album last year titled Tyrants Of Wrath. Whilst their early years are peppered with Demos and Singles, culminating in that 2023 debut full length, Handed To Execution, it’s worth remembering just how young these guys are. Each member is barely into their 20s and as a result we have a rare look into the future of metal. Once again alongside High Roller Records, Not Midnight Yet comes just more than a year following their last stellar release and I was hyped to see what more Phantom can offer us.
Most speed metal bands wouldn’t open their record up with an organ or piano piece but Phantom make it work for them given the macabre aesthetic their sound possesses. When one experiences Phantom it’s a more spectral, older approach to speed metal than other acts who, through appreciation of bygone eras, may lean on nostalgia as a selling point. There’s something alluringly new about Phantom’s sound; there’s speed akin to thrash metal’s most ferocious years and yet something fresh that’s truly their own. Something that aids Phantom’s speed metal attack also is the noticeably raw and unrefined production they use. You can tell as little as possible was done to tweak their performance, to retain that knife edge their riffs have. Granted it does have that retro soundscape but at no point do Phantom sound like they’re looking to be anyone else than themselves.
As mentioned Phantom adore playing fast. I haven’t heard bands playing this fast and passionately and free of worry in a long time; not even the multitude of death metal records I’ve experienced this year can come close. As one tracks leads to the next there’s hardly a drop off in momentum or fun, with emphasis on that last element. As rapidly and fervently as their riffs are ripped off I always felt like Phantom were having a genuine blast performing these songs and can only imagine how live audiences shall receive them. It’s what helped make their last album so joyous too; you got the sensation this was more than just speed to Phantom, they wanted to write music where you could get the maximum enjoyment out of it as opposed to solely focusing on speed and intensity alone. Much of the record will feature licks and drum beats that’ll tear the skin from your face but then you get these Maiden-infused sequences where the tracks truly come into their own and become more than just another speed metal track.
Phantom’s choice of a retro aesthetic may ooze greatest in its guitar attack but it’s still a record released in 2026 and thus technology enables them to bring light upon elements that may have gone under the radar; the drums herein are constantly on the attack whether it be bass drums, cymbals or constant snare striking. It must be stated the intensity isn’t reaching fir the zenith constantly, the record is peppered with steadier sections whereby you get these flowing drum patterns that carry the track along. This is where Phantom excel, reckoning they don’t need to go ballistic at every second but when the moment is right. The drums are crucial to this effect. More often than not, the drums and riffs work in tandem so there’s never any indication the songwriting feels out of synchronisation; it’s therefore well directed, pinpointing positive chemistry within the band as a collective unit.
Whilst they’re adept at playing with speed at their side sporting the retro soundscape, it needs reinforcing how hard their performance still hits. I’ve experienced albums like Not Midnight Yet before where you can feel the energy but not the weight behind the performance; there’s all the pomp of adrenaline with none of the impact. I’m therefore happy to report Phantom make sure each track can hit us as hard in the face as they do their own instruments. It never feels like their instrumental ability is up in the air, it always feels grounded at every turn. It also helps their case that their songwriting consists of more than just breakneck pacing and roaring in our faces; there are plenty of slower moments, more melodic playing, steadier and methodical pieces. The result is a record that constantly feels renewed with life even as it approaches that hour-long mark.
In conclusion, Not Midnight Yet is another shining example of speed metal done right. Not only is it performed with fervour and honest fun but the band ensure the momentum inherent is impactful and keeps us invested, especially as the record develops one track into the next wherein songwriting may be fundamentally unique. Taking their last release into account also Phantom are on a roll with full lengths but whilst both are equally entertaining, Not Midnight Yet takes the win for me personally given the more abundant selection in track variety, riff intensity and overall atmosphere. Though the band are here to race you through a grand succession of tracks, they don’t dominate your senses so totally you can’t interpret what’s happening. That freedom to experience Phantom in deliberated, precise playing is a real boon against bands who only have momentum on the brain. At just under an hour there’s plenty to take in and I think it’s just long enough before it would start wearing out its welcome, but Phantom prove yet again why they’re one of speed metal’s hottest commodities. A Phantom record is doorway to a most excellent time.
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