PHANTOM MASK are a Spanish power metal act who have gone under various guises over the years; they started as WHITE MASQUE, then became DELIVERENCE, before deciding upon their current name in 2004. Their new EP, "Legacy Of Fire", is an interesting and diverse release that shows the bands current direction.

Starting with "Phantom Ride", we are treated to some quite raw sounding but nonetheless, great power metal. The furious riffing never ends throughout the track and there are numerous shifts with a pretty mad structure. The song features some folkier moments and gang shouts with some quite rough vocals for the overall sound of the band (not that this is bad)

"Undestructive Powers" kicks off with some tasty guitar riffage before being met by stabbing rhythms and a great dramatic lead. The band has such an old school sound here that really has a great feel and atmosphere. The song is again very fast and furious - straight to the point and with no compromise. The chorus is particularly heavy here, verging on more extreme forms of metal. Plenty of technicality is also on display here, especially in the guitars. "Arquitect Insane" is up next and again it's a real hard hitter, with some really nice additional touches from the keyboards adding a nice sense of drama here. The song has plenty of twists and turns to keep people interested too.

The EP closes with "Die By The Fire" and we're treated to yet more fast and furious material here. Again there's plenty going on so it doesn't get boring, with some really nice vocal moments here too, making this a good closer.

Overall, the EP is pretty impressive and PHANTOM MASK certainly have the chops! I'd like to see a bit more dynamic expression on display, and also a little more focus on production as overall it does feel a little raw. However, as an EP, this is a great display of the bands core sound and will certainly impress fans of the band and the genre.<