Soaring
sonics and
furious
overdrive

Phantom Blue uses a
masterful twin guitar
attack and a rousing
rhythm section to explore
the outer reaches of rock

There are moments in the

life of a band when suddenly everything just clicks. When the rhythm rumbles, the beat bounces, the solos sting and the voices reach their peak. When this occurs, you can feel the excitement galvanize the room, even if the group members are the only souls in the place.

Last Saturday night in the Los Angeles suburb of

Canoga Park, this coming together of musical elements happened for Phantom Blue in front of a packed club called Mancini's. As a result, electric energy was not only zapping each of the five group members, it was also snapping at the blood vessels of the SRO audience.

The huge, jagged sheets of noise that Phantom Blue produces all seem to have some sort of cosmic purpose. Perhaps it was simply the alignment of the galaxies. Whatever the reason, it was obviously their moment to create the rhythmic ebb and flow of the universe, and onlookers got a load full of loud, proud music. Phantom Blue was awe-inspiring. They were monolithic. They were overpowering. They were fun.

Fun? Not the word normally applied to overkill metal music. But this band enjoys what they do and want you to share the refulgence. Oh sure, the bass player and the drummer seemed to be in competition to see who could best pound your brain into jelly, but their frenetic workouts were always in the service of the songs. And sure, the lead vocals were wailing and seemingly multi-toned in a way that assaulted your ears, but always with allegiance to the melody

The set began with the one-two punch of "ALC" and "Bleeding," jumpstarted hearts with "Loved Ya" and slammed into the frenzy of "Nothing Good," "Little Man" and "Move Over," a song made popular by Janis Joplin but performed here as if it was new all over again. "Going Mad" certainly lived up to its name, "Badoosh" killed several unsuspecting bystanders, and "Time to Run" had the room tilting over on its side.

Dyna Shirasaki plays bass the way Lionel Hampton played the vibes - hard, fast, swinging and full of life. She attacks her instrument, yet she provides a lyric lilt to the proceedings, probably due to her early musical training on organ and piano. Linda McDonald also hits hard. She offered up double-time drumming. Triple-time. Quadruple-time. Unthinkable, yet there it was, punching you, pummeling you, and percolating under every tune. Gigi Hangach is all evil tease in her stage persona, but she's all voice when she sings. Or per haps that should read "when she SINGS!"

Phantom Blue utilizes two lead guitarists who support each other on rhythm or play in unison with different overdrive and distortion effects on each guitar to drill your head into the floor. From the first precisely articulated solo from guitarist Tina Wood, you knew you were in for a treat. Almost before you could appreciate it, guitarist Josephine was burning the fretboard, too These two cause jaws to drop and hips to shake.

"We like aggressive music," Wood told me. "Music that attacks you and moves the air around a bit. That's what we try to do." They delivered on that promise. They had plenty of supporters in the crowd; people with cameras kept jockeying for position near the lip of the stage, and staffers from Splash Sound, a hip music store in nearby Tarzana were all smiles before, during and after the band's sonic assault. Mainly, the room was full of metalheads there to see Norman, a steamroller of a band, but Phantom Blue won them over in their first fifteen seconds of a searing intensity that lasted through the night.

Crunch. Spirit. Raw power. Naked assault. Controlled mayhem. All with a joyous attitude. It co-exists in the band called Phantom Blue.

(For information on Phantom Blue:
www.phantomblue.com
or write Phantom Blue
3727 West Magnolia Boulevard Suite #402, Burbank, CA 91510)

Music reviews and artist bios by 'Scott' Gerald Laurence are also found at the Backstage Pass All Access website (bspaa.com) a 4000+ page compendium of rock, pop, metal, soul and more.
Submit CDs for review to: IMMEDIA, BOX 8275, Calabasas. CA 9l302.