Phantom Communique

 V
Location:
LA, California, US
Type:
Artist / Band / Musician
Genre:
Rock / Metal
Site(s):
Label:
American Voodoo
Type:
Indie
BIO Gritty, emotionally stirring and vibrant with vitriol, PHANTOM COMMUNIQUE possess a dynamic and undeniable spirit. With a respect for the rock of old and a knack for heavy hoods, the Baltimore foursome perfectly captures that spirit on their American Voodoo debut full-length release, The Wolf And The Sheep. The album features a ferocious blend of aggression and melancholy that will serve as a much needed wake up call to the masses. This quartet has begun to revolutionize hard rock pushing the boundaries of conventionalism to new limits. The future of the genre never looked so bright. When vocalist Brandon Thomas first conceived of the band he was at a personal breaking point. Having just parted with the successful but tumultuous band Bleed The Dream, with whom he had toured the world and release two full-lengths, Thomas left his jaded years in Los Angeles behind to make amends and return to his roots in Baltimore. Determined to flex his artistic muscles again, he quickly assembled the kind of ragtag misfits that would help bring his musical visions to fruition under the PHANTOM COMMUNIQUE banner. The next step in the evolution of the ban was to play some live shows and start reaching out to potential label homes. Because Thomas had made the industry rounds through his years with Bleed the Dream, he spent time between tours flying coast-to-coast to re-establish those connections. Ironically enough, it was longtime friend and brother in arms Jim Kaufman who would take PHANTOM COMMUNIQUE under his wings. Kaufman, much like the band and Thomas himself, had just started a new venture of his own, and he thought the guys would make a perfect launch for his label, American Voodoo. What Kaufman saw first and foremost was raw talent and emotion, but it was their desire and work ethic that sold him. After all, talent is a great thing to have but without an innate, burning appetite for progression and success talent is meaningless. Seeing as how Thomas had been working toward becoming American’s next great frontman since he was a snot-nosed teen with a chip on his shoulder the burning angry lyrics found on PHANTOM COMMUNIQUE’s The Wolf and the Sheep. The album was a product of four warped minds spending long nights pouring any and all artistic ideas into a lofty but collective work of beautiful aggression. Kaufman took a perfectionist approach as the album’s producer to ensure that any unnecessary fat was shaved off of the final recordings. After a grueling six months of tracking, re-tracking, mixing and mastering, the album was complete in the spring of ’08. While the band patiently waits for the album’s release they have been plugging away in the rehearsal space, playing regional shows with their good friends in Opiate for the Masses and generally spreading the word and gaining momentum all the while. The sheer energy and excess found on songs like “Crosshairs” and “You Will Follow” speaks to something extraordinarily rare in any endeavor, and that’s a sense of camaraderie through shared adversity. The album’s title track is an epic shot of pure unabashed mayhem that will easily tear the roof off of any venue. This is the next big thing and it won’t be long until this band becomes a household name. These guys have spent every second of their lives building on a dream that every little kid entertains but fails to achieve. There have been more than a few bumps along the road but hearing the crunch in each riff, the thunder in each drum beat and the anguish in Thomas’ world-weary vocals, one soon understands that this is truly a band of brothers, bonded by an unquestionable and zealous thirst for good, honest and kick-ass rock and roll.
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