Interviews: Phantom Horde

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal band, Phantom Horde from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their INSTAGRAM PROFILE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

It came pretty naturally! The idea was to strike a balance between dark/brooding, and bold/memorable. I think we just started throwing out some metal-sounding words until we found a combo we liked that wasn’t taken! The name actually inspired the epic ghost story delivered by Chance on our debut EP, “The Umbra”. 

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We’ve been metal fans for as long as we can remember. Cody and Chance share a love of melodic and atmospheric death and black metal, while Taylor draws more from the realm of hardcore. The idea of melding our individual influences and styles, and striving to create something that stands on its own was the motivation to start writing.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

We’ve been friends for years and played in multiple projects with one another, but never all three of us at the same time. Despite growing up on metal, we hadn’t had the opportunity to explore these sounds in our previous bands. When we started looking seriously at putting something like this together, it just made sense to do it as a trio!

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Chance - Too many. I’ll just say Devin Townsend. Unreal musician.

Cody - Anything and everything Steven Wilson.

Taylor - Can’t narrow it down to just one these days, but a long-standing diverse list of favorites includes Muse, The Strokes, Deafheaven, Iron Maiden, and Elliott Smith. In the metal space specifically, it’s Cattle Decapitation but with heavy leanings in hardcore where I’ve been jamming Drain, Gel, Scowl, and beyond.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Anything and everything! We consume a lot of content. We’re massive fans of horror, fantasy & sci-fi, so any books, video games, movies, or TV in those genres tend to fuel us creatively. From cryptids and the paranormal and everything in between, we aim to write the stories we want to hear.

6. Where was your last gig?

Chance - Taylor and I play gigs in Los Angeles semi-frequently with a pop-punk cover band, so that was my last one!

Cody - It’s been 10 years, with an old garage-rock band that Taylor and I were in. 

Taylor - A pop-punk cover band gig w/ Chance and two shows with a Hall and Oates tribute act, who some might call the "Phantom Horde of the rock ‘n soul world."

7. Where would you like to act?

With the three of us being native Texans, it’d be dope to play around the state with our fellow Texas death metal bands. There’s such a strong scene there now. While Cody is still in Texas, Chance, and Taylor are in L.A., so something on the west coast would be great as well!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Too many to name, but our boys in Left To Rot, Atomic Witch, and Maul would be sick. There are so many up-and-comers just killing it right now!

9. Whom not?

Well, I don’t see us opening up any country music festivals anytime soon... so that?

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Stage fright affects everyone. It’s a natural human response that’s usually the result of adrenaline. The trick is learning to harness that energy and using it to put on a great show!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Chance - Vocally I'm a massive fan of Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation) and Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder) (RIP). Their styles inspire me a lot. Lately I've been taking a ton of influence from two opposite ends of the metal spectrum as well: Oli from Archspire and Sammy from Drain.

Cody - My biggest influences as a guitarist are bands that are able to seamlessly integrate significant amounts of melodicism without compromising their edge. Some favorites being Katatonia, Woods of Ypres, Opeth, Evergrey, and Nevermore. 

Taylor - My style at its core is very alt-rock driven so chief inspirations have always been Dom Howard from Muse and Zac Farro of Paramore. The king of single pedal metal to me has always been Nicko McBrain and two bands I love that helped inform my style of playing for Phantom Horde were Power Trip and Tribulation.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

My mom asked for a free shirt. I said no.

13. What do you think of your fans?

They’re the best fans with the best taste.

14. What do you think of our site?

Any site that spreads the word about killer underground metal bands is an A+ site in our book.

15. Something to add?

Check out our tunes and buy a shirt! We are working on our upcoming LP and this is an incredible stepping stone towards that. We hope you like these new tunes as much as we liked making them!