PHANTOM ELITE

Titanium FRONTIERS

Dutch symphonic metallers in need of more strings to their bow

There’s nothing actually wrong with the second album from Phantom Elite, it’s just that Titanium doesn’t mange to stand out from the band’s symphonic peers. The musicianship is sharp and accomplished, and vocalist Marina La Torraca has an enticing voice, but most of the songs follow an obvious and somewhat dreary formula. They tend to start with swelling keyboards from Koen Stam, before Max van

Esch jumps in with spiky guitar moments as the composition settles into a style that attempts, yet fails, to match what Within Temptation do so well. The two exceptions are Diamonds And Dark and

Eyes Wide Open. Both songs have a tuneful intensity and colourful cohesion while showing there’s the seed here of something worthwhile. But for the moment at least, Phantom Elite have fallen well short of their ambitions. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Epica, Within Temptation,

After Forever

MALCOLM DOME