It was quite a ride for Mathias Lodmalm and his band, Cemetary. The group debuted in 1993 with An Evil Shade Of Grey, in many respects a traditional death metal album, but over the course of the next several releases the band transitioned to an excellent and original dark gothic metal band, Lodmalm's vocals taking on a more gruff, less death-oriented style. They continued on until 1997, at which point Lodmalm decided to disband the group, only to form a similar band entitled Sundown (named after the 1996 Cemetary album). That band survived for a few years and released two albums, and Lodmalm again switched gears, with his next album released as Cemetary 1213 (one might argue that this was simply a Cemetary reformation, though it was explained that the 1213 suffix indicated a new beginning to a new band). That album, The Beast Divine, marked another shift in direction, toward a more aggressive, industrial-laced style.

After several years of quiet, Lodmalm finally returned in 2005 with the last chapter of the Cemetary saga. Recorded as a solo effort, Phantasma sees the man furthering his industrial/techno interests, with several songs sounding a bit like the slower, more recent Nine Inch Nails tunes. It's clearly the least traditional metal album of his career, and to some this might be off-putting, but to these ears Phantasma is alive, emotional, and electric -- a fine effort indeed. Citing disillusionment with the metal scene, Lodmalm announced in May 2005 that he would no longer wished to record metal albums, though undoubtably he would continue some sort of musical career.