Having been voted Album of the Month in a recent Aardschok, 'Phantoms' was preceded by quite a reputation when it arrived here at Terrorizer Towers. Whether or not the hype is deserved has been the subject of intense debate 'twixt Our Lord Ed and m'self ever since. While He feels that Sear Bliss would basically like to be the next Arcturus and spend too much time combining "all the correct influences", I fail to see how such a well-rounded, superbly executed debut can be the product of anything other than an ensemble of collectively creative individuals.

But His comparison to Norway's shining northstars is not unfounded, nor are the ones I am about to make to Christ Agony and Gehenna. One can draw parallels to anything from anything, I suppose, but there are definite and recognisable similarities to all three acts mentioned to be found on 'Phantoms'. What separates Sear Bliss from the melodic masses, though, is their refusal to rely solely on synthetisers to generate effective atmosphere. Such is the strength of their songwriting that these, the modest use of acousting guitars an - bizarrely - a trumpet are merely the icing on the proverbial cake.

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