Never a band to rest on their laurels, the Scaramanga Six are back on the scene once again. Since the band’s original incarnation in 1995, members have come and gone, many a face has been resoundingly rocked, and in addition to ten EPs and singles released since 2001, the Huddersfield sextet have launched six albums into the stratosphere. For those who were feeling withdrawal symptoms, however, never fear, because number seven is ready to go. Phantom Head is the latest release, and it’s an apt time to see if the band is continuing to set the standard for kicking ass as they approach the 20th anniversary of the original formation.
The record kicks into life with the gently strummed introduction to ‘I Will Crush Your Heart’. It’s not a song title that immediately makes you think of sunshine and roses, though you feel that in the own unique way of the Morricone Brothers who mastermind the project, the intentions of the album opener are good. It’s probably as close to a Sinatra-esque crooner that you’d find in the Six’s repertoire, but if that’s what you’re looking for then you’re probably still listening to Frank Sinatra. It’s easier to simply appreciate the opening track for what it is, which is a very solid beginning to another labour of love from Huddersfield’s finest. ‘I Am The Rain’ opens with back and forth guitars trading blows over a thunderstorm, an atmosphere neatly created, and soon built upon by the dulcet tones of front Paul Morricone. It doesn’t take long for the track to take on a thumping change of pace, thanks in part not just to Brother Paul and Brother Steven, but also to Gareth Champion, a champion both in name and in the nature by which he wields his weapons of choice behind the drums. It’s in a similar fashion that the band approach ‘The Bristol Butcher’, which also sees pianist James Kenosha thrust himself into the spotlight. As group vocals rear their head and the perfect union in which each cog of the Scaramanga Six’s wicked machine works together is put on clear show, it’s bound to dawn on even the most cautious of listener that they’re placing their ears in some of the most capable hands imaginable.
‘Blunt Force Trauma’ sees Julia Arnez throw her lungs into the mix, and combining with the typically emphatic lead vocals of the band’s frontman is another way of mixing things up on an increasingly fun and imaginative record. Electronic drums and whispered backing vocals that kick off are more elements deployed from the Scaramanga Six arsenal in ‘The Spider’, while the opening line of ‘We Are the Blind’ – “Welcome to the never-ending intestinal tract you will come to call your vocation” – is certainly one to rope in maximum attention from the get-go. What follows is perhaps the most lyrically entertaining tracks on the album, though this is hardly an easy award to hand out. The track juggles spoken word verses and a harmonic chorus in its first half, while the second half sees an aggressive thrust before returning to the “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” refrain that punctuates the piece. After this, the album marches into its second half, with ‘They Put You on a Pedestal’ slowing the pace a little bit, though by no means killing the momentum. It withholds a sombre beauty as it leads into its much more menacing successor, ‘Twist the Knife’. There’s a passive aggressive energy to the track that bubbles under the surface until it explodes out in the chorus, as the Brothers Morricone continue to flex their muscles as master wordsmiths of the band. The lyrics to each song sounds like a hybrid of song and playscript, each telling a different story and not struggling to keep the listener engaged. Indeed, you get the impression that a concept album, while as of yet unchartered territory for the group, would not be an unsuccessful venture if they decided to take it on. Phantom Head, however, is content to tell twelve different stories with equal aplomb, a trait not lessened by ‘Missing’ or ‘The Cardinal’ as the record enters its twilight tracks. ‘It’s Just A Matter of Time’ is the only track on the album to cross the six minute mark, and it chooses to use this time twisting, turning, changing shape and ultimately, building into one of the best pieces that Phantom Head has to offer. It skulks, rather than storms, into closing track ‘The Stepford Bands’, though as soon as the record’s farewell piece kicks into life, it does so in the only fashion worthy of wrapping up the release. While “grand finale” would be an appropriate description, it’s not completely fitting as by the time the final notes die away, the only thing you can imagine doing is flicking back to track one and enjoying the whole album again.
There is, of course, an art to creating a wholly enjoyable full-length record. With this being the case, it could be fitting to pinpoint the Scaramanga Six as music’s Francisco Goya; dark romanticists with a sublime knack for storytelling. Each element works in harmony, and each piece of the puzzle fits. While some bands falter with age, and some just fade away, there’s no such fate for the Morricones & Co., who simply go from strength to strength.
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