Review by Felix on April 2, 2022.

Orange, blue and yellow are not the colours that come to my mind when I think of black thrash metal. However, the vinyl version of Phantom Knights presents exactly this combination. Fortunately, this colour scheme has no influence on the quality of the music. Deathhammer’s first full-length has everything it needs to make a fan of the bastard genre happy.

The band saw no sense in recording an intro and that’s a fine thing. Phantom Knights shows its explosiveness right from the very first tones. Supersonic speed is nothing the band fears, the riffs are based on vileness, sharpness and spontaneity and the vocals add this quantum of almost criminal insanity. Deathhammer are clever enough to avoid overly primitive song patterns. Yes, black thrash can be very simple and absolutely great at the same time, but it is also cool to experience compositions that have not been created within five minutes. Okay, not each and every riff is brand new. The one of 'Ready To Destroy' recycles that of Bathory’s “Reaper”, but taking your inspiration from the best is a venial sin, especially when it comes to debutants. By the way, the vibes of this album and those of Quorthon’s debut are comparable in terms of maliciousness. Only the archaic simplicity of “Bathory” is missing, but that’s nothing surprising. No one will ever again have the chance to record such an album. The mysticism and the exciting atmosphere of the primeval days of extreme metal cannot be reproduced.

Deathhammer do not lack competence, neither in terms of song-writing nor with regard to their technical skills. The songs do not suffer from any boring sequences, because no disturbing or overused element shows up. Phantom Knights consists of nine compact songs that do not fall victim to narcissistic ideas of their spiritual fathers. All of them appear handy, crisp and concise. Therefore you will not find a track here that does not enrich the full-length. Maybe there are a very few parts which leave room for optimization. 'Queen Death', for instance, holds somersaulting sequences where the band is at risk of losing control over its self-created monster. Anyway, this is no big deal – and the same goes for the explosion at the end of the lively and relentless 'Blood Token', which is definitely too loud compared to the music, or the fact that the songs do not much differ from each other. What is decisive is the authentic rampage of the musicians and therefore I forgive some nearly painfully high-pitched screams in view of the band’s musical hyperactivity. There is so much that breaks out of the musicians – I am almost surprised that they were able to channel their activities in such a successful manner.

The production also gives me a good feeling, because the thrashing guitars are put into the right frame. Okay, the barking of the singer sometimes pushes its way in the centre, but finally it is the fantastic, sustainable guitar sound which leaves its mark here. People who like bands like Shakma or Nekromantheon definitely miss some good music when they do not dive into grenades like 'Devilish Dirge' or 'Armoured Assassins'. Whenever the power of juvenile extremists meets the grace of early musical maturity, great albums can be the result. Phantom Knights is one of them and a direct hit - regardless of the colours of its vinyl edition.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10