Fantazmaz’s self-titled debut detonates like a battery of sonic grenades—tense, furious, unfiltered, and utterly, utterly, brilliant.
This Brazil‑born, London‑based street‑ghetto punk four‑piece – fronted by Thami, with Raf Oliver (guitar), Chokito (bass), and ex‑U.K. Subs drummer Jamie Oliver – have unleashed upon the world a raw, unpolished punk fury fueled by obsession, desperation, and blazing authenticity, and I adore every second of it.
Right from the first notes of opener Are You Enjoying The Peaceful Skies?, Fantazmaz sets a mood that is slightly off key, slightly disturbed, and slightly unsettling, which is instantly followed up by the 30 second assault of Dead On The Way Home, a track that slams you in the face with the brutality at the heart of its inspiration: a Brazilian news report about youths killed while simply returning home.
In fact, across the 11 tracks on offer – and a runtime that can’t clock in at over 20 mins – Fantazmaz don’t shy away from exploring subjects that most punk bands wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Whether that’s somone being emotionally in debt to another as the song You Owe Me A Fortune would suggest, or taking a swing at capitalist hypocrisy with Corporate Behaviour, Fantazmaz turn their eye on everybody, and nobody is safe from their withering judgement.
This isn’t the Sex Pistols rolling out in their wheelchairs to croon out God Save The Queen for the millionth time and a shitload of filthy lucre, this is prime Dead Kennedys, flipping the middle finger to the world and asking you, the individual, to stand up and be counted.
Musically, Fantazmaz are on another level to every other band in the genre. Hell, they’re on another level to every other band in every fucking genre. They treat the ability to actually be able to play their instruments as something that shouldn’t be hidden, but embraced and it makes for a sound that genuinely doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve ever heard. Yes, I can pick out refrence points – for example, I’ve already mentioned The Dead Kennedys, but their are also hints of The Cramps in there as well as the likes of NYC Hardcore and a slight dash of the Butthole Surfers – but when it’s put all together, Fantazmaz are about as original as it gets.
It’s loud and ballsy, blistering and punchy, but it’s played by a group of musicians who probably have a few prog rock albums hidden away, towards the back their record collections.
From bastard bossa nova and punk to hardcore and hip‑hop/industrial beats, Fantazmaz stretch punk’s limits without diluting its core intensity and when the final track – the completely out of left field but thoroughly majestic Just Before Hell Comes Around – fades off into the nightmare dreamscape it’s just carved out for you, you will find yourself breathless, liberated, and more alive than you have felt in a fucking long time.
This isn’t a record born of introspection or artful reflection – it’s an enraged howl at injustice, inequality, and a world that has finally gone mad.
Fantazmaz’s debut album is available July 4th.
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0: Fucking Shit
- 1: Shit
- 2: Not Bad Shit
- 3: Pretty Good Shit
- 4: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
PRESS SOURCE: James Sherry/Division Media PR.
