REVIEW: Phantom Heir - Fragile Immortals

The ever-mysterious Phantom Heir are set to release a brand new EP named Fragile Immortals, and if you're searching for an artist that brings good music and good morals, this could be exactly what you thirst for. Phantom Heir is a completely faceless artist that desires to create tunes discussing and expressing the anger felt by today's world politics. 

The artist, referred to as the entity, draws its inspiration from different genres of metal and hardcore to spark certain synaesthesia in the minds of listeners. It has been racking up tracks in its discography since 2021, and has released multiple singles and two full albums in that time. The new EP continues to explore the mindscapes that can be carved with sound. 

The first track up ‘The Inquisition’ transports you to an eerie war zone using a range of sound effects and humming notes, along with radio recordings - before a distorted guitar rips into the song. Bellowing screams meld in accompanied by drums, a certain bell or tambourine instrument does ring quite sharp on the ears and could perhaps be adjusted in future editions of the track. 

‘The Revelation’ kicks in much more rhythmically than the last, with a fast tempo and primitive shrieking vocals. This song is very interesting to the more musically tuned ear, as it switches time signatures throughout the three and a half minute run time, a much less frequent approach in these shorter, digestible durations. The chorus draws in melodic vocals from both a male and female voice, layered together, moving in alignment. Crashing cymbals and a distant distorted guitar riff once again cultivate something eerie from a prominent metal track for the artist, mixing many elements of the ever expanding genre. 

Next on the roster is ‘The Tyrants’ which, much like the last track, is highly experimental with its beats while remaining easy listening, in so much that it still retains a clear enough beat that even the most pulverized metal head could two step to. This track opts for a spoken word verse that the vocalist projects right from the chest, then moving onto another melodic section - this time containing only a male voice, that is smoother and more airy than the last track. 

‘The Harbinger’ is used to close out this EP, with a repetitive, cycling guitar riff that haunts the ears as the vocalists screams overlay it. This song also has its vocally melodic moments, at moments it even underlays the screams, adding a layer that might traditionally be done with a synth or bass, where this artist chose to use its voice. The lyrics explore themes of endless cycles and a humans’ relationship with death. 

This EP is far from perfect, but it certainly showed us an artist that has a lot of potential to break into the metal and hardcore scene. Its musical ideas and deeply political messages portray an artist that has a lot to say, and we’re sure it's far from done. We look forward to hearing the auditory carvings to come from this anomalous entity and exploring the mysteries it beholds. 

Score: 7/10

Fragile Immortals will be released on July 4th 2025.

Words: Amy Smyth

Photos: Phantom Heir