⛧
Keeper of Death (1993)
Recorded in June 1992 and released the following year, Keeper of Death is the sole full-length from the Russian band Phantasm. This is solid death/thrash quite reminiscent of Imperator’s The Time Before Time. The songwriting is rather primitive, often mid-tempo thrash with bursts of chromatic death metal riffing. Just when you think a song is becoming a bit repetitive, a sudden unexpected change comes along to keep things interesting.
Occasional licks bring to mind early Cannibal Corpse, such as on “Stick in Black,” while the tremolo melodies in “Brainsuckers Spiders” demonstrate a clear influence from Morbid Angel. One can even hear faint traces of Obituary in the slower parts of “Black Castle.” There are a fair amount of memorable riffs throughout, such as the oddly upbeat rocking of “Night of the Living Dead”, which shouldn’t work but it does. The closer, "Grave Digger", works in some nightmarish passages that really add to the dark feeling. The guitarist is clearly the most skilled guy in the band. Even when things speed up, the drumming is as basic as it gets. The production is kind of flat and distant, but good enough.
Despite their limitations, Phantasm managed to create a morbid atmosphere on this L.P. Given how soon this was recorded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it’s only natural that some of the surrounding grimness found its way in. Keeper of Death is definitely worth a listen for anyone into Eastern European death/thrash.
Occasional licks bring to mind early Cannibal Corpse, such as on “Stick in Black,” while the tremolo melodies in “Brainsuckers Spiders” demonstrate a clear influence from Morbid Angel. One can even hear faint traces of Obituary in the slower parts of “Black Castle.” There are a fair amount of memorable riffs throughout, such as the oddly upbeat rocking of “Night of the Living Dead”, which shouldn’t work but it does. The closer, "Grave Digger", works in some nightmarish passages that really add to the dark feeling. The guitarist is clearly the most skilled guy in the band. Even when things speed up, the drumming is as basic as it gets. The production is kind of flat and distant, but good enough.
Despite their limitations, Phantasm managed to create a morbid atmosphere on this L.P. Given how soon this was recorded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it’s only natural that some of the surrounding grimness found its way in. Keeper of Death is definitely worth a listen for anyone into Eastern European death/thrash.
(9 June 2025)
Last Updated: You are Visitor #: