Content: Phantom Vision has resurrected after a 10 year hibernation. The Portuguese gothic formation got some recognition right after the millennium by releasing their debut-album at the now gone gothic label Nightbreed Recordings. The next 3 albums got released by COP International, but the last 10 years nothing new happened in the studio.
“Ghosts” is maybe not a new start, but it’s clear that after all these years they’ll again have to conquer the audience. The work is not exactly what I would call a typical gothic release but rather a mixture of gothic and rock elements with some extra electronic arrangements on top.
There’s a well-crafted balance between all the elements, but the main strength of this work is the vocals by singer Pedro Morcego. He can sing in different ways, which inject some diversity into the work. His deep and somewhat sensual timbre of voice at “Behind The Scenes” reminds me of Leonard Cohen while the more nasal and theatrical style at “Human” is more like Gary Numan meeting Anna-Varney Cantodea. Last, but not least some of the last songs, which are like into a post-punk spirit might remind me of Billy Idol. Morcego is a real talented singer and he clearly injects a real true spirit into this album.
Phantom Vision is not reinventing gothic music, but their new work clearly reveals a will to do it a different way. It’s not exactly the dark and depressive gothic sound, but a more open-minded vision, which is still touching other grounds. The electronic passages are absolutely great and essential, like illustrated at “Fairy Tales And Broken Dreams”, but still other songs like “Behind The Scenes” and the brilliant “Naked Machine” reveal great sequences.
I already mentioned the some more post-punkish approach, which sounds a bit into rock as well. It makes me think of a contemporary version of Billy Idol and I even dare to say that this is probably the best part of this release. “No Limits”, “Right City, Wrong Time” and “Millionaire” are pretty cool songs in the genre. Those songs still feature an electronic touch, but it’s less explicit now.
“Ghosts” features 15 new songs, which is a nice gift for the fans who had to wait for years since the “Instinct”-album (2005).
Conclusion: The new Phantom Vision work sounds more diverse in sound and even into some modernism. I’m just missing a potential hit at this album to speak about a fully successful comeback.
Best songs: “Naked Machine”, “Behind The Scenes”, “Right City, Wrong Time”, “Millionaire”.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.