Fantom Warior

Fantom Warior came together in 1984 in Union, New Jersey, as an American thrash metal band. The core members were John Chernack on bass and vocals, Keith Pires on guitar and vocals, James Jensen on drums, and Steve Schley on guitar. Their sound was a mix of hardcore thrash, speedcore, and heavy thrash, drawing comparisons to Slayer and Kreator, and featured shifts in tempo and technical skill that set them apart from some peers of the era. The band’s major influences included Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax.

The group started as a heavy metal cover band called Phantom Lord in 1984, with an original lineup that included vocalist Dave Montini. After several lead singers, including Jason Glicken (also known as Raeph Glicken), who later drummed for hardcore punk and black metal acts, the band changed its name to Fantom Warior in early 1985.

This was because another New York band had already taken the name Phantom Lord. The new lineup had Chernack and Pires sharing vocal duties. Their first show under the new name took place at the Show Place in Dover, New Jersey, in May 1985.

In 1986, Fantom Warior released a five-track demo called Morbid Invasion. It was distributed worldwide and got positive reviews in metal magazines in the US and Europe.

Critic Esben Slot Sorensen of Denmark’s Blackthorn called it a killer demo and noted the vocals reminded him of Tom Araya. Mike Exley of the UK’s Metal Forces said the demo was a classic and a must for true metal fans. Andrew Sakowicz of Chapel magazine wrote that with bands like Fantom Warior, the East Coast was becoming a scene to watch.

In April 1987, the band appeared on a compilation album called Merlin Music Presents . . ., which included nine artists from different genres. Their track “E.R.C.” (Eat the Rotting Corpse) was exclusive to that release. In 1987, Fantom Warior put out an album titled Fantasy or Reality on their own label, Token Records. Like the demo, it was sold directly by the band through mail order and local stores in New Jersey and New York.

Before the internet became common in the early 1990s, Fantom Warior built a worldwide fan base through reviews and articles in metal magazines and underground fanzines. Their contact info appeared in publications like Metal Forces and Blackthorne, which helped spread their demo, album, and merchandise globally.