▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Black Phantom ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Better Beware! █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-11-17 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Heavy Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Punishment 18 Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ It was probably not enough for MESMERIZEÆs bass █ █ player, Andrea Tito, with the constant activity █ █ with his mother band. Due to that, other than █ █ taking a breather, he went on forming another █ █ band, and named it BLACK PHANTOM. I might call it █ █ a back to the roots thing, even if he already has █ █ a band that isnÆt that far from the new emerging █ █ entityÆs direction. He even took two bandmates to █ █ carry the new vision with him. Anyhow, it was set █ █ and with material that has been laying around █ █ somewhere in the dark, bred to life and into a █ █ debut album titled ôBetter Beware!ö, which was █ █ signed to the local Punishment 18 Records. Also it █ █ surprised me that these guys are actually going to █ █ support this album, as if there isnÆt a bigger █ █ band in the midst, with that said, hats off to █ █ them. █ █ The rising of BLACK PHANTOM, and its debut output, █ █ marked another British invasion to Italy, and this █ █ time not for the purpose of war. In an own obscure █ █ manner, this band slowly became a kind of Italian █ █ IRON MAIDEN, and without being a tribute band. █ █ Taking on a vocalist that is a cross breeding of █ █ Bruce Dickinson and Tobias Sammet, having a crazed █ █ bass player that is not far from being the lost █ █ child of Steve Harris, embracing the old █ █ juggernautÆs thin Marshall sound of the mid 80s, █ █ low tuning the guitars to make it slightly █ █ heavier, writing music that is in close proximity █ █ and from there on unleashing a setlist of songs █ █ that are a pure exploration of the IRON MAIDEN █ █ universe. Even if it looks that way, I can tell █ █ you without a doubt that this is certainly not a █ █ copycat band. I have the feeling that I know what █ █ you are thinking right now. Generally, I can argue █ █ that ôBetter Beware!ö is under my made up category █ █ of borrowing, because BLACK PHANTOM proved that █ █ they had what it takes to compose material that █ █ would eventually create them an image of their █ █ own. Which means that though there is no such █ █ thing as picture perfect, the Italians conjured up █ █ a good starting point which I believe will lead █ █ them further forward into becoming more original. █ █ BLACK PHANTOM showed that they have a good sense █ █ for creating epics, such as the historical war █ █ affair of ôFirebase Valley Forgeö and the final █ █ original tune ôKing Of Bottom Feedersö. Frankly, █ █ both songs are as if a hybrid between the ôPiece █ █ Of Mindö and ôPowerslaveö periods of MAIDEN. █ █ Furthermore, there is much enthusiasm in their █ █ methods of revamping the old British flame that █ █ isnÆt necessarily based on MAIDEN but others of █ █ the same circle, with the ardent opener ôLight █ █ Behind The Armourö and its energetic mad follower █ █ ôBlack Phantomö, both showing signs of others like █ █ RAVEN / SATAN / TOKYO BLADE. The approach on ôLess █ █ Than Zeroö appeared to me as something for the █ █ audience to get hooked on, a type of anthem that █ █ explores the fine voice pattern of the bandÆs █ █ singer. Others that should be mentioned: ôThe █ █ Absenceö and ôThe Invisible Manö. █ █ Being somewhat far from originality doesnÆt mean █ █ that it is bound to falter. Nothing of a sort in █ █ this particular case. I trust that BLACK PHANTOM █ █ are no mimic, mainly a cause effect of their bass █ █ player passion and devotion for a band that laid █ █ down the law for countless of others. The overall █ █ quality is good, and it is only a matter of time, █ █ if continued, that this band will flourish. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Light Behind the Armour 4:23 ░ ░ 2. Black Phantom 3:46 ░ ░ 3. Up is Down, Black is White 4:19 ░ ░ 4. Less Than Zero 5:21 ░ ░ 5. Firebase Valley Forge 6:16 ░ ░ 6. From an Is to a Was 4:18 ░ ░ 7. The Absence 5:08 ░ ░ 8. Ninth Ring of Hell 4:23 ░ ░ 9. The Invisible Man 5:24 ░ ░ 10. King of Bottom Feeders 5:11 ░ ░ 11. Total Eclipse (Iron Maiden cover) 3:52 ░ ░ 52:21 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░