Phantom 5
Phantom 5
Frontiers Music Srl
2016
Funnily enough Michael Voss (Wolfpakk, Mad Max, Casanova, etc.), apart from being quite an in demand producer, is quite an active musician churning out new music on a quite frequent basis… his latest adventure also includes former Bonfire singer Claus Lessmann, Robby Böbel (Evidence One, Frontline) on guitars, Axel Kruse (ex-Jaded Heart) on drums and Francis Buchholz (ex-The Scorpions) on bass in a band called Phantom 5, which was initially conceived as “Supremacy”, before a name change, turned them into a phantom quintet!
Voss and Lessmann share vocals duties, with me being a little partial to the former, but without holding qualms against the latter. While the comparisons that have been tossed around try to convince that this debut is somehow equal to some of these guys’ former bands’ best works and this is both quite a tall order and not really the case, it could generally be agreed upon that this is both a band that has some serious chemistry and a number of pretty good songs, make no mistake, this ain’t a fluke, but it ain’t exactly the best thing since sliced bread either.
Opener “All the Way” is pretty pacey and dynamic, a nice single… and “Blue Dog” gets through the door, just because it’s carrying over the momentum of that opener in its riff and has a pleasant enough chorus.
Things get a bit moodier for “Someday”, while “Don’t Touch the Night” [?!?!] (seriously – almost name checking Bonfire’s debut?) sounds an awful lot like them, for reasons more than one.
“Renegade” is a heavier, mid-tempo affair that could have worked better if it was a little more daring…
“Flying High” isn’t bad, but it feels like it’s recycling ideas and playing it safe.
A feeling that thankfully “Since You’re Gone” manages to dispel, not by being terribly original because it’s not, but by getting its priorities straight and going for a more melodic, almost AOR-ish tone that suits it well.
I don’t know if “They Won’t Come Back” is a realization of our “heroes” mortality, which is bittersweet I guess, nice chorus though.
“Frontline” is again name checking, too close for comfort, but is decent enough despite its plodding mid-tempo.
“We Both Had Our Time” talks about a broken relationship, but really it’s probably also applicable for the case of our “friends” and their former bands… plus it borrows from “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, which is not saying much about inspiration.
“Why” is a whole lot better, I guess, all things considered, while yet another song is exclusive to the “online” versions, namely “Sing Along”, a quite dynamic tune that would have probably felt a bit better as part of the album, but does in fact feel a little too happy and different to the rest, so it’s exclusion, also makes sense. Not great, but nothing sort of terrible either…
Voss and Lessmann share vocals duties, with me being a little partial to the former, but without holding qualms against the latter. While the comparisons that have been tossed around try to convince that this debut is somehow equal to some of these guys’ former bands’ best works and this is both quite a tall order and not really the case, it could generally be agreed upon that this is both a band that has some serious chemistry and a number of pretty good songs, make no mistake, this ain’t a fluke, but it ain’t exactly the best thing since sliced bread either.
Opener “All the Way” is pretty pacey and dynamic, a nice single… and “Blue Dog” gets through the door, just because it’s carrying over the momentum of that opener in its riff and has a pleasant enough chorus.
Things get a bit moodier for “Someday”, while “Don’t Touch the Night” [?!?!] (seriously – almost name checking Bonfire’s debut?) sounds an awful lot like them, for reasons more than one.
“Renegade” is a heavier, mid-tempo affair that could have worked better if it was a little more daring…
“Flying High” isn’t bad, but it feels like it’s recycling ideas and playing it safe.
A feeling that thankfully “Since You’re Gone” manages to dispel, not by being terribly original because it’s not, but by getting its priorities straight and going for a more melodic, almost AOR-ish tone that suits it well.
I don’t know if “They Won’t Come Back” is a realization of our “heroes” mortality, which is bittersweet I guess, nice chorus though.
“Frontline” is again name checking, too close for comfort, but is decent enough despite its plodding mid-tempo.
“We Both Had Our Time” talks about a broken relationship, but really it’s probably also applicable for the case of our “friends” and their former bands… plus it borrows from “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, which is not saying much about inspiration.
“Why” is a whole lot better, I guess, all things considered, while yet another song is exclusive to the “online” versions, namely “Sing Along”, a quite dynamic tune that would have probably felt a bit better as part of the album, but does in fact feel a little too happy and different to the rest, so it’s exclusion, also makes sense. Not great, but nothing sort of terrible either…