Phantasm

Instead of renting city blocks for 18 months to record pointless records and paying group therapists more per month what most people make in a year, can't Metallica just buy an island somewhere, move, and give someone at a label some serious green to bolster the legacies of some underappreciated metal heroes, like for instance Katon DePena? Best known for Hirax, DePena rose from the same toxic Cali pool that spawned Exodus, non-suck era Metallica and others and ripped things up real good with a brand of thrash/speed metal that allowed some serious ragged edges amidst the hypertechnical precision and one powerful voice. Seems like the nostalgia for the 80's thrashers is coming to a new head these days (in fact Hirax has reformed and even plays NYC once in a while), so fair time to note Katon's short-lived band circa 1987, Phantasm. They get most mentions for the fact they contained pre-Cliff Metallica bassist Ron McGovney, but this band ruled on quite a few levels. In 2001 Deep Six put out a disc called Wreckage containing their 6 song demo, and a live show they played in Phoenix with Nuclear Assault, and let's say the grotty blown-speakers element here is a thousand times more effective than any Bob Rock pixiedust. Phantasm live: "Pray For Power" (MP3) "Blown To Oblivion" (MP3)

Comments

[Zach in Philly]

Poking around WFMU for more Phantasm yielded "Depression" from August 19 2003 (http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/8572), and how fitting the preceding tracks were for an unseasonably cool and dreary day as August 19 2007 is! There's the gloomy opening tracks by Yahowa 13 and Growing and the yule crowd pleasing "Greensleeves" by Harvey Milk.

Katon DePena's vocals are very impressive and the Phantasm tunes are great! Hirax is pretty kick ass, too. I can actually understand the words. Such clarity in DePena's delivery!