An almost unknown band from Greece with a name like Phantom Lord and an album cover that looks like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings leads me to conclude, before even listening to one single second of the album, that this will not be the most original album I have ever heard. And after hearing one song I know I was right; Phantom Lord sounds totally like classic heavy metal bands like Helloween, Iron Maiden and maybe even a bit like Judas Priest and Queensr˙che. Fortunately things aren’t as bleak as they seem. Although Phantom Lord is far from original it is very well played heavy metal. In fact it is played with a conviction that even the original bands nowadays seem to lack. This album is not half-hearted power metal like Gamma Ray and Helloween nowadays play themselves but a straightforward heavy metal assault that is actually quite pleasing and nostalgic to say the least.

The music is fast and technical but there is also enough room for a slower, more bombastic type of songs. The production of the album is quite decent and most important of all; the singer has a powerful voice that reminds once in awhile of Helloween’s Michael Kiske, and the album offers more than enough variation. Unfortunately, maybe just to make their point, the album ends with the most unoriginal song of them all, “Wolverine”. This song sounds like Apocalyptica would have played it, only violins and cellos. Although it sounds quite decent it is really a useless addition to an already not very original album.