Phantom Music/Management is both a management and a small label. The motto is quality before quantity. Today I have gathered 25 years of experience from the music industry. The first staggering steps I took as a musician. I played bass in three different bands before I gave up and sold my equipment. My musical testament is one song on a compilation.
In 1983 I started the Heavy Metal Massacre magazine together with a friend. During a period of 13 months we released four issues. Today I can, with not so little pride, state that we were the first magazine in Sweden to write about bands like for instance Metallica and Slayer. After we stopped doing HMM I continued to write for foreign magazines, in ten different countries, for five years. Some of the mags were Rock Brigade (Brazil), Loud (USA), Slayer Mag (Norway), Hot Rockin’ (Denmark) and Street-Fighter (Norway).
In the end of 1988 we were a few persons who decided to start the first magazine ever that was totally dedicated to Swedish Rock – BACKSTAGE! The first issue came out in the beginning of 1989. After 7,5 year and 30 issues I decided that it was time to move on, to seek new challenges. A few months later the band Gooseflesh asked me if I wanted to be their manager. When I, after some consideration, said yes it was the start for Phantom Music/Management.
My biggest challenge so far was putting the “Power From The North – Sweden Rocks The World†compilation together, which wasn’t an easy task. The idea behind the album was to let some of today’s biggest Swedish metal acts record covers of their predecessors, as the ultimate homage to Swedish Hard Rock and Metal. HammerFall, In Flames, Entombed, Meshuggah, The Haunted and The Crown were among the participating bands.
The same year as the compilation was released, in 2000, I was one of the persons responsible for starting the 2000 Decibel-festival – my biggest project so far. The festival was totally dedicated to Swedish Hard Rock and Metal. We booked the best bands that Sweden had to offer in the genre. After six year's we decided to put the festival to rest. R.I.P.
Today I work exclusive with the band Electric Earth that shortly will release their second album "Vol II - Words Unspoken". At the same time they will release a vinyl-EP, "Selling Soulsâ€, which will feature two brand new tracks as well as two covers.
Take care
Lennart "Phantom" Larsson
Phantom Music/Management
