Phantasma - The Deviant Hearts

original review on  http://www.wingsofdeath.net/Phantasma-The-Deviant-Hearts

A collaboration between Georg Neuhauser (Serenity), Oliver Phillips (Everon), and Charlotte Wessels (Delain), that sounds interesting! The result is Phantasma, a project that comes with a novella written by madam Wessels, who’s angelic voice is being re-invented in ways we have never heard before. Phantasma is absolutely not a copy of Delain, nor Serenity, but still an obvious melting pot of the talents of both while still maintaining a very own atmosphere, with added talents as Dennis ‘Sly’ Schunke (Van Canto) and Tom Engelund (Evergray), to name a few.

The first thing that strikes me with opening song Incomplete are the beautifully simple lyrics that are being executed wonderfully with  lot of poetic feel. Both vocals compliment each other nicely on the right moments, and while this semi-intro flutters with innocence, we are now hearing the real deal with title song The Deviant Hearts. Warm, full and with a good dosage of epicness, packed with addicting drum fills but with a feeling like this is only the beginning of the good stuff.  Tom Engelund is taking the spotlight with his vocals at this one.

Runaway Gray feels like the intro of some soap opera at some parts while the piano fills that are added later give it more of a Transsiberean Orchestra-like feel.

Chloe Lowery – hailing from previously mentioned band – brings some interesting twists to Try - a song that is already packed with a lot of quirks. Still somewhat slow for the most part but with outstanding vocals in a duet  with Dennis Schunke that makes sure this song never becomes a bore. 

Enter Dreamscape has - like the title already gives away – quite some dreamy parts, but still delivers quite a blow. The chorus is something that has to be heard at full volume with Charlotte who mesmerizes everyone by taking her voices to places never heard before. Tom, Georg and Charlotte all have a role to play in this song, which they play with utmost brilliance and the bittersweet bombast that it creates makes Enter Dreamscape probably the best song on this album.

Quite more frivolous is Miserable Me, with almost a Danny Elfman/Tim Burton-ish atmosphere, especially with that funny piano fill that shows up here and there. De verses deliver quite a punch but the chorus kinda just drags along for my taste.

The Lotus and the Willow shows that Georg can bring a lot of warmth to a song with his lower vocals and it makes me wonder why he doesn’t use that more often. Dreamy in a way it almost cradles you to sleep, until the guitars are taking center stage at the right moment and it blossoms into quite the entertaining power ballad.

Crimson Course delivers a wake-up call after this. A song that would also work well as a musical score. Charlotte makes use of her more piercing vocals for the first time on this album and it is this that marks the prominence of this song on the grand scheme of the album.

My jaw almost drops to my toes while listening to Carry Me Home. Though quite simple at times, it gives the feeling like you could just float away to a better place. I hear Van Canto’s Dennis also use his voice in ways I have not yet heard before, and while this song already has a feel of rebirth, it looks like every vocalist at Phantasma shows sides of their voices that only this project could let emerge. We are almost re-discovering these well-known singers.

The Sound of Fear takes a more standard approach, as far as Phantasma’s work can be called ‘standard’, and actually doesn’t give much food for thought with its relaxed, feel good vibe. Again is made clear why Georg is such a master in delivering a great ballad.

Novaturiant appears to continue on the same foot - then again the album seems to lack speedy songs - but this one becomes the exception pretty fast. I do have the feeling that I’m listening to a Serenity track instead, and the characteristic gloomy-fairytale feel of Phantasma took a break.  At the last part of the song, Charlotte comes along and brings some Phantasma magic back to the show, concluding that this song with its unique speed for this setting does not have to compete with the rest of the album.

Far to soon we’ve arrived at the last song, Let It Die, which feels like a good closing track with its splendid timing. The verses are a bit held back but that only makes the choruses pop out even more, and instead of just dotting the I’s on this album it makes a pretty big exclamation mark. The sweet, innocent tune of the intro Incomplete makes a quick comeback to wrap it up, and after that it’s all over and done.

I expected a lot from this project, of which I have already heard lots of things about via the channels of Serenity and Delain, but this exceeded all my expectations! Although fans of the more speedy/heavy material might think of this as too slow or too romantic, it is just these things that make Phantasma so characteristic. I can’t say I ever heard anything quite like it and I don’t think I will come across anything remotely close in the near future either.

Phantasma shines a new light on the careers of both Georg and Charlotte that hopefully will resonate trough both of their bands. Really, a fantastic job well done!