Mexican Speed Thrashers PHANTOM have returned with their third full length album “Not Midnight Yet” merely a year after their sophomore release. Kudos to the band for quickly turning around and cranking out 12 new tracks in such a short period of time. I stumbled onto their first album “Handed To Execution” during a flash sale that a record label was having and my ears quickly melted to the intensity. Fast, intense Speed Metal that caught my ear and was in my CD player (yes, I use a CD player still and have no shame about it) for a few weeks. It was a no-brainer that I wanted to do the review for this album when I saw that this album was up for a review. The band plays a modern style of Speed Metal with major elements of the past. The production on this album is solid as the instruments don’t drown each other out. The vocals remind me of Tom Araya from his early days in SLAYER, at times hitting the high notes to almost a King Diamond like falsetto. ‘Solomonari’ has a song structure that feels like it would fall right in line with “Show No Mercy” and / or “Hell Awaits”. The song ‘Curse Your Name’ has a nice acoustic intro that borderlines on a ballad, but it quickly cranks up the tempo to a slasher of a song. The guitar solo on ‘Echoes Of The Fights’ really stands out and shows the impressive guitar work the band brings to the table. These guys keep a consistent frame for melodies on their songs that easily capture the listener’s attention. The track that stood out the most to me was ‘Hordes Of Bats’, as it captures all the elements that the band brings forth and accentuates it. In summary, PHANTOM bring a piece of ’80s to early ’90s era Thrash Speed Metal nostalgia to the game with intricate guitar riffs, catchy guitar solos, the melodies and a rhythm section that balances out the vocals. It does feel a bit of a change in the recipe from their debut album, but to be brutally honest I have not checked out their sophomore album “Tyrants Of Wrath” (but it is on my to do list) to see if the changes had occurred there or if it was a continuation of the debut. Fans of old SLAYER, RAZOR and MIDNIGHT should give this album a spin and be ready for a headbanging good time. For more info: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583939232552, www.facebook.com/hrrecords