In my review of Phantom's Hellspeed Death demo from 2022, I said this was a band with potential and on their debut album, Handed to Execution, it appears I was on to something. Better production is a key factor as you can now hear the guitar and bass working together and the drums have a booming, propulsive presence. Practice hasn't hurt, either. Many of the songs on Handed to Execution have appeared on multiple prior releases and the opportunity to fine-tune cuts like "Reaper's Bane" and "Handed to Execution" have done wonders. The clearer sound has sapped none of Phantom's malevolence and they still channel early Slayer and Venom with evil abandon. Chaos has a part to play when you talk about black/thrash/speed metal, it's part of what makes the style so much fun, but on a few songs, notably "Speedhammer" but others as well, the echo-soaked vocals spill over the instruments in a way that makes the songs something of a muddy mess despite the upgraded production. Nevertheless, Handed to Execution is a step forward in almost every way so if you are a fan of Midnight, Bewitcher, and bands like that, Phantom is a band you're going to want to start paying attention to.