Review: Phasma – Purgatory

Style: Death metal, technical death metal, dissonant death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Aborted, The Black Dahlia Murder, Gatecreeper, Benighted, Cattle Decapitation, Dying Fetus, Harms Way
Country: Greece and United States
Release date: 20 February 2026
Remember when you were younger and could punish an all-you-can-eat buffet without breaking a sweat? For those of you under 30 years old, just patronize me please. Were you worried about mixing crab legs with fried chicken and sushi? Hell no, it was all delicious, so why not try everything? Similarly, does anyone really give a shit about metal subgenre labels anymore? If a new release is stamped as brutal vs melodic vs technical death metal, does anyone really care? Well, let me tell you who doesn’t give a fuck about labeling: Phasma. This Greek and American act cook up a diverse platter of all things brutal for you to feast upon in Purgatory. So if the thought of sharing a plate of dissonant metal squid tentacles with hardcore tenderloin and a side of blackened death tilapia makes you squeamish, find another table to sit at.
How can Phasma’s sound be described? Simple—imagine an amalgamation of the batshit craziness of Aborted and Benighted, with the hardcore groove of Gatecreeper, furious death metal riffage of Vredehammer, and a touch of The Black Dahlia Murder’s melodic harmonies. Easy to imagine, right? But rather than simultaneously blending these sounds together, Phasma fluidly shifts between metal subgenres multiple times within individual songs. As an example, the third song on Purgatory, creatively named “III”, starts with a slow plodding riff that backs away to an isolated organ, setting an eerie atmosphere for the following dissonant tremolo guitar passage on top of blast-beats. A deathcore-tinged breakdown gives way to a down-tuned groove metal section, leading to an arpeggio-filled guitar solo to close the track. On paper, this combination does not seem like it should work. However, guitarist Jason Athanasiadis demonstrates prowess in writing compelling passages across various metal subgenres. A consistent intensity ever present in Phasma’s performance links the sections into unified compositions.
With all the various morsels of metal subgenres scattered across Purgatory, there is a lot to be excited about. Top of the list is the frontrunner for the prestigious “Clay’s Chug of the Year Award” in the song “IV”. Be wary of listening to this track in your office or a public quiet space, as you will likely have trouble sitting still with the auditory adrenaline Phasma injects. Following the glorious galloping chug is a melodic death metal section of harmonized guitars preceding a brutal death metal riff that would make Dying Fetus proud. Meanwhile, the opening track, “I”, finds Phasma at their fastest and most furious with harmonized tremolo picking guitar lines and interspersed emphatic pinch harmonics. The inflammatory track is bookended by slow, menacing and suffocating sections that sound like the band summoning a deadly, otherworldly beast to torment the listener.
Alongside the musical diversity, vocalist Luis Ferre has a varied attack as well. Across Purgatory’s brisk thirty-minute duration, Ferre alternates between guttural deep brutal death metal barking, hardcore-like shouting, and higher-pitched tormented screams. His presence never overshadows the music, but rather, like a chameleon, Ferre successfully adjusts his vocal style to the backing musical madness. The seamlessly incorporated vocal variety is another aspect that allows the frequent style adjustments to flow naturally into each other. Within this short offering, there is little to criticize. A minor gripe is the solo organ passage that concludes Purgatory. For such an explosive album to end with a lull seems like a bit of a misstep, as a brisk and fiery punch to end the album would have been a more appropriate exclamatory punctuation to the preceding madness.
Simply put, Purgatory is a blast. Phasma has produced an album that is incendiary, interesting, and filled with fleeting delicious fragments of death metal that demand an active listen. Though no novel recipe has been developed, Phasma has nicely blended their musical influences into a unified package. For those with a diverse musical palate for the grimy, filthy, and brutal, Purgatory will leave you satisfied and likely asking for second and third helpings. Just don’t forget to work in a palate cleanser every once in a while.
Recommended tracks: I, III, IV
You may also like: Vreddehammer, Undeath, Creeping Death, Vltimas, Necrowretch
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Phasma is:
– Jason Athanasiadis: guitars
– Luis Ferre: vocals
– Bill Nanos: drums
– George Markantonis: bass
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