Keeping my mouth shut for months was a hard thing to do but it's about that time where I can speak freely. Some reviews have already been put out there and very soon (if not already upon time of posting this) album number six, Phantom Shadow, by the legendary Machinae Supremacy will now be public for all to enjoy. I'll give you all the tl;dr version right here. Being one of the bigger contributors to the World Tour Fundraiser (WTF) I've had this for months. It HAS NOT left rotation in my car since.
Phantom Shadow marks something a bit different for Machinae Supremacy. It marks the first album to be a concept album. Parts of a story coming from the mind of Robert Stjärnström's have been teased in songs in the past but now, all is told in what is bound to be one of the best concept albums ever made. From start to finish, the album keeps you sucked in both musically, lyrically, and the replay value is there as well to take in the story. From the spoken bit teased in the album trailer that was put out to the epic closer, the album never skips a opportunity to wow you. Speaking of skipping, you won't be skipping tracks on this album, so let's forget that we can even do that at all.
This album has plenty of that thing all Machinae Supremacy fans seem to always want more of but can never get enough of - SID. It's all over the album. The SID presence on this album makes me think of the better days. This is in no way to take away from the last album, Rise of a Digital Nation but regardless of opinion, the album was over way too quickly. Phantom Shadow however offers sixty six minutes of pure win and awesome. Tell me about the album you say? Yeah, I know. You get it. It's awesome.
This album shifts between hard rocking MaSu tracks we all know and love, to slow yet beautiful tracks, to help set the scene for the story told. The former is masterfully done with tracks such as "Throne of Games" and it's thrash-like feel (I'd imagine this track is quite the workout for Niklas) and "The Bigger They Are the Harder they Fall" which are both headbangers for sure. The latter is achieved with one of MaSu's best tracks ever "Europa" and instrumental bits "Captured" and "Mortal Wound". Europa alone is worth giving this album a listen. This standout track offers a kickback to the track "Flagcarrier" with great instrumentals all around and dual vocals from Robert and Ingeborg Ekeland, mixed with stellar acoustic guitar playing by Michael Dawes, as well as beautiful violin work (also via Ingeborg) and equally astounding cello playing from Jessica
"The Villain of this Story" is a solid opener for the album as fans have come to expect and finishes with SID that is bound to be turned into a ringtone on people's phones. This flows right into a equally as awesome sound bit in the beginning of the very next track, "Perfect Dark". "Renegades" comes off as a "fight song" but also is something to look forward to because of a part in the song that the crowd is bound to sing along to. Also, if you listen closely, you will hear familiar lyrics in this track as well from a older webography track. "The Second One" offers a bouncy track of sorts. Those that think back to A View From the End of the World will be pleased to hear this sequel of sorts to a equally fun track on that album. Those that can never get enough SID will love "Beyond Good and Evil" which was recently released as the first video for the album.
Another highlight for this album is hearing Tomi Luoma at work for the first time in the studio with Machinae. I'd say the fit is great and natural. "Phantom Battle" and "Versus" are great examples of great solos from both himself and Jonne. Brilliant solos are to be heard throughout the album between the two. Anyone that was worried about a different sound has nothing to worry about. None of this is to take away from Andreas of course because I rather enjoy bands where I don't have to have my ear against the speaker to hear the bass. The instrumentals overall are some of the best ever to be heard in a Machinae Supremacy album. Everyone plays as if they are genuinely involved in the story being told on this album. The musicianship reflect this and is part of what makes the album the masterpiece that it is.
Much like select tracks on RoaDN, Robert's vocals are supurb throughout and shows off a good range as the album progresses. Always unique and fitting the sound of the band, Robert puts his all into these tracks. Given that there is a story to tell, the right tones and feelings are there when they need to be. One of the better examples of everything said here is one of the bands best closing tracks yet, "Hubnester Rising". By the time the track fades out, one can easily go back in to listen yet again, and likely get something from the album that they didn't get the first time. This latest album just flows really well and is why I think fans will be stuck on this one for quite some time.
A point made many times, Redeemer is just one of those albums that reeks of creativity and some epic tracks. Many fans point to Redeemer as THE ALBUM (not counting webography tracks) to show off MaSu with to others. Dare I say it now has a contender for first place. If I wanted to be really critical on rating each album, it would be hard to decide if Phantom Shadow or Redeemer takes the slot. If I had to give a quick answer though on the spot, I would say Phantom Shadow takes top slot, hands down. The entirety that the album has to offer sound wise and story wise is simply the best of ear candy there is to offer. The kind of candy you devour yourself in when stress eating but without the shame afterwards - and you come back for seconds.
In conclusion, the fact is this. We shouldn't even try to compare this album to anything that has been released thus far. Being the only Machinae Supremacy concept album to date, it can easily stand on it's own. Because it offers something no other album has before as a whole, it stands as a gem in the collection that should be considered as separate from the bunch. Simply put, Phantom Shadow is not an album. It's an experience.
- Victor Max Vellon
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