Fantom Warior

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Fantom Warior
Origin Union, New Jersey, USA
Genre(s) Thrash metal[1]
Speed metal
Heavy metal
Years active 1984-1989
Label(s) Token Records (independent)
Associated acts Slayer
Metallica
Anthrax
Kreator
Members
Keith Pires
John Chernack
James Jensen
Steve "Schley" Schlehuber

Fantom Warior was an American thrash metal band founded in 1984 in Union, New Jersey.[2] The members consisted of John Chernack, bass and vocals, Keith Pires, guitar and vocals, James Jensen, drums, and Steve Schley, guitar.[3] The bands major influences were Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax.[4] Fantom Warior had a self distributed demo and album as well as an appearance on a compilation album.[5] Fantom Warior's music style was said to be hardcore thrash similar to Slayer and Kreator with changes throughout their songs that mix speedcore and very heavy thrash.[2] Their music contained a blend of speed and technical development unknown to some of the other bands of their time.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

Fantom Warior initially started as a heavy metal cover band under the name Phantom Lord in 1984 in Union, New Jersey. The original lineup featured guitarist Keith Pires, drummer James Jensen, bass player John Chernack, guitarist Steve Schley, and vocalist Dave Montini. The band transitioned through a number of lead vocalists, most notably Jason Glicken (a.k.a. Raeph Glicken) who continued his music career as a drummer for a number of hardcore punk bands such as S.F.A., Kill Your Idols, and The Arsons, as well as the black metal band Black Anvil.[6][7][8] In early 1985, the lineup of John Chernack, Keith Pires, James Jensen, and Steve Schley, with John and Keith taking on vocal frontmen duties, changed the band name to Fantom Warior due to the emergence of a NY band using the name Phantom Lord.[9] The group's first live performance as Fantom Warior was at the Show Place in Dover, New Jersey in May of 1985.[4]

In March, 1986, Fantom Warior released a five track demo tape containing original material entitled "Morbid Invasion".[2] The demo was distributed worldwide and was well received by a number of metal magazines in both the US and in Europe.[1][2][3][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Critic Esben Slot Sorensen of the Danish metal magazine Blackthorn writes "This is a killer demo! Fantom Warior will be a very possible subject for the 'demo of the year 1986' poll ... you must take a look on the cover just too assure you that it is not Tom Araya who's singing".[2] Critic Mike Exley for the UK metal magazine Metal Forces writes "Morbid Invasion is both a classic and a must for true metal fans and bands to listen to ... Morbid Invasion leads off with a solid riff, but it's the middle section of this song that has me foaming at the mouth".[3] Writer Andrew Sakowicz from the Chapel Magazine felt that with bands like Fantom Warior, "the East Coast is finally a scene to be reckoned with".[17]

In April, 1987, Fantom Warior was one of nine artists of various music genres to appear on a compilation album distributed by Merlin Recording Studios.[4] The record album entitled "Merlin Music Presents . . ." featured a track from Fantom Warior entitled E.R.C. (Eat the Rotting Corpse) which did not appear on their "Morbid Invasion" demo.

In October, 1987, Fantom Warior released a 10 track record album entitled "Fantasy Or Reality" distributed under the bands independent label Token Records.[5] This album, as with the "Morbid Invasion" demo, was also distributed and sold directly by the band via mail order and local music stores throughout New Jersey and New York.[4]

Prior to the popularity of the Internet and the World Wide Web in the early 1990's, Fantom Warior, as did many 1980's metal bands, established a worldwide fan base with the help of reviews and articles that appeared in the metal magazines and the underground metal fanzine networks.[18] The publishing of Fantom Warior's contact information in these articles, initially in the UK Magazine, Metal Forces, and then the Dutch Magazine, Blackthorne, as well as many other regional fanzines, helped jump start Fantom Warior's worldwide distribution of the "Morbid Invasion" demo, the "Fantasy Or Reality" album, and other merchandise. Although the Fantom Warior name and music spread worldwide, Fantom Warior played primarily in venues throughout Northern New Jersey and metropolitan New York such as the Show Place in Dover, NJ, Billy O's (a.k.a. October's and The Rock Palace) in Staten Island, NY, CBGB, Manhattan, NY, and L'amour in Brooklyn, NY. Fantom Warior was known to co-headline performances with another Union, New Jersey metal band Insaniac.[16][19]

The lack of professional management and touring that would have come with a contract with a major label as well as the downturn of thrash metal during the late 1980s made it difficult for unsigned bands, such as Fantom Warior, to thrive.[20][21] The band eventually separated in 1989.

[edit] Discography

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Kaye, Dan (1986), “East Coast Report”, Aardschok America Magazine (Oregon, USA) (no. November): 38 
  2. ^ a b c d e Sorensen, Esben Slot (1986), “Fantom Warior”, Blackthorn Magazine (Denmark) (no. 4): 25, <http://a578.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/31/l_6b48c9a3358195db1cf585e462959589.jpg> 
  3. ^ a b c d Exley, Mike (1986), “Fantom Warior”, Metal Forces Magazine (UK) (no. 20): 12, <http://a855.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/96/l_ad25d7d6a56fb73871abe66aac484cd6.jpg> 
  4. ^ a b c d Fantom Warior MySpace Page. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  5. ^ a b Meat (1984). Encyclopeadia Metallum:Fantom Warior. Reviews for Fantom Warior's Fantasy or Reality. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  6. ^ ["http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=330296" Billboard.com]. Kill Your Idols Biography. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
  7. ^ ["http://www.myspace.com/blackanvilny" MySpace]. Black Anvil. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
  8. ^ ["http://www.myspace.com/thearsons" MySpace]. The Arsons. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
  9. ^ The BNR Metal Pages. Phantom Lord. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
  10. ^ Berry, Bob (1986), “Fantom Warior”, Thrash Til Deaf Magazine (Indiana, USA) (no. 3): 4 
  11. ^ Criou, Stephane (1986), “Fantom Warior”, Troubadour Magazine (France) (no. 3): 29 
  12. ^ Baas, Frank (1986), “Fantom Warior”, Crionics Magazine (Holland) (no. 1): 6-7 
  13. ^ Kuper, Wolfram (1986), “Fantom Warior Morbid Invasion”, Shock Power Magazine (Germany) (no. 11): 31 
  14. ^ Glu II, La (1987), “Fantom Warior Morbid Invasion”, D.O.D. (Decibel of Death) Magazine (France) (no. 4): 6 
  15. ^ Murgia, Massimo (1987), “Fantom Warior Morbid Invasion”, Shadows Magazine(Italy) (no. 3): 34-35 
  16. ^ a b Rimbaud, Franck (1987), “Fantom Warior Morbid Invasion”, Metalorgie Magazine(France) (no. 8): 21 
  17. ^ Sakowicz, Andrew (1986), “Fantom Warior Morbid Invasion”, The Chapel Magazine (NY, USA) (no. 2): 12 
  18. ^ "Internet --- Wikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia". Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  19. ^ Berry, Bob (1986), “Insaniac Interview”, Thrash Til Deaf Magazine (Indiana, USA) (no. 3): 13-15 
  20. ^ Thrash metal --- Wikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  21. ^ Fanzine --- Wikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.