Of all the places in the world, this band comes form Iraq! Metal is a music without borders, without nationalities, without color… DARK PHANTOM plays a brand of melodic Death / Thrash Metal, which is quite similar to later SEPULTURA or ARCH ENEMY. The production is quite good, if maybe it still could have been a bit clearer, I think the dirtier sound adds a touch of their own. Also I can appreciate the fact that they do play every song with quite different speed tempos, yet the band seems to be more comfortable with the tempos of more “groove”. The use of clear vocals in the song ‘Nation Of Dogs’ with a heavy oriental accent adds the exotic flavor quite in a very interesting way. Sometimes the overall aura of this album reminds me of MORGOTH’s “Odium” although with a more Thrash / groove sound, but it will give you an idea. For a debut album, and from the place they come form, it is a very interesting effort. The band surely knows how to do simple yet effective riffs. I am not so much a fan of the groove kind of Metal they use in some songs, yet in this case, and as the band uses a lot of Death / Thrash sounds, it is quite enjoyable. www.facebook.com/pages/dark-phantom-origin/182240078476511, www.satanath.com/sodp