
Don’t be fooled by the ambient intro ‘Are You Enjoying The Peaceful Skies’ because the roof is about to cave in. ‘Dead On The Way Home’ is a sonic kick to the jaw in just over half a minute. Christ, the song finished before I could type the title out. It’s swift, loud, to the point and bursting with energy. We’re off.
Brazil’s fiercest new punk rock export comes to the UK with their debut self-titled album, with the familiar machine pounding of Jamie Oliver on tub thumping and boy does he tub thump. Formed in 2019 by frontwoman Thami and guitarist Raf Oliver, Fantazmaz found their raw, unrelenting sound with the addition of bassist Chokito and former U.K. Subs drummer. They manage to mix blistering punk energy with a fearless presence; they sound like a band in a hurry, but to where Gawd only knows.
This record was recorded in two days, I’m reliably informed, and it sounds like it – not in a bad way, but the sound of a band who are raring to go and bursting to get out there and cause some trouble, where I think these songs will really come to life.
Rage and fury is one way to describe what follows over the ensuing ten songs, with one as ferocious as the last ‘You Owe Me A Fortune’ is rabid where ‘Distortion’ has a big Bass rumble and frantic fret flurries its as much about the energy they have created as it is about the songs because to be fair they aren’t over egged it is a lean mean war machine. They do reflect on global issues with lyrics such as those on the excellent ‘Does God Know Misery’; the melody is an earworm, and the guitar work is killing it.
This is proving to be a fresh lick of paint on a scene that is so overcrowded, but the music contained within is on fire and will grab your attention; rather, it will demand your attention.
‘Scars Of Downtown’ dissects the loneliness of metropolis and inner city London living, ‘Corporate Behave’ rages whilst looking at the nodding dogs with some post DKs guitar tricks thrown in for good measure. Hell, we’ve almost got to the finale, and it seems like it’s only just started. The thick production offers a real beefy sound that adds weight to the energy this record manages to own from the first to the last, with raging solos attempting to break out all over the place but being fought back by the solid rhythm section, none better than on the thrashing ‘Warheads’.
To close off, we have some weird trip hop beats melting on ‘Just Before Hell Comes Around’ just to fuck with your head before saying adios. A fine album, debut album to be exact, from Fantazmaz, a band I think we’ll be hearing about more and more in 2025.
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