It is hard not to talk about Ghost Bath without mentioning a couple of things that gave them some low level “notoriety”.
First off, the China hoax – when the band released their debut “Funeral” on Chinese label Pest Productions in 2014 there was press releases around it stating that they were from Chongqing and the underground metal world (well a small corner of it) spilled it’s Pabst Blue Ribbon over this bunch of lads from China making a shrieky doomy post black metal noise to give Deafheaven a run for their cardigans. Of-course it turned out that they were from North Dakota – which to me is just as exotic- I mean I know jack shite about that place.
Then a more localised flurry of dust and typing fingers happened in 2016 when Ghost Bath were the morning hangover bludgeoners on the mainstage at Bloodstock. Whilst many stood transfixed and emotionally moved by the ferocity of the bands then new Moonlover album played live, countless others were running around the back of the field and campsites making exaggerated screams, shrieks and goat sounds in mockery of Nameless vocal style.
If you don’t like the more extreme pained shrieks often found in DSBM then Ghost Bath probably aren’t for you. Me? I think that they compliment the music amazingly and provide an extra instrumentation to the strings and skins.
I really dug Moonlover in 2015 and somehow missed Starmourner two years later so have come to Self Loather a bit fresher. My appetite had been whetted by first single and album opener “Convince me to Bleed” which is a galloping Black Metal monster which harks back to early Cradle of Filth vibes at the beginning before ascending into a heady mix of post black metal jerky post hardcore riffs. The vocals mix gruff rasps and the iconic shrieks that I had expected but then come some deep, deep throaty death metal barks which work brilliantly. It seems as soon as it gets going it ends and my ears are filled with a choir and the racked sobs of an unknown female. Utter despair – which is kinda uncomfortable to listen to I gotta say – this is “Hide From the Sun.”. It’s a bassy, choppy, chuggy track that also throws in some post punk old skool goth guitar (think proper early Goth not gothic metal) peppered throughout a groovy metal romp – that girl keeps popping up crying throughout. Someone give her a hug for fucks sake!
So, this is Ghost Bath 2021 – no one trick pony and no need for marketing mystique. On this album they show that they can hold their own as musicians and songwriters. The album mixes up traits and tropes of DSBM, post and plain old Black Metal along with modern death and classic heavy metal but does so seamlessly avoiding any cut and shut jigsaw effect.
The claws to the sky of “Shrines of Bone” segues beautifully into the floor pounding grandiosity of “Sanguine Mask” which bizarrely manages to meld beatdowns with orchestral breaks, anguished shrieks and brutal guttural barks.
If Ghost Bath are truly trying to evoke the sonic map of depression, I think they have hit the nail on its scarred head. So often musicians attempt to depict depression and anxiety with only the cliché of sombreness and sadness. Ghost Bath bring the anger, frustration and glimmers of hope into the light. The flurries of manic activity followed by waves of calm – the gentle piano at the end of “Sanguine Mask” is a great depiction of this.
The ten tracks bubble with emotion with the guitars taking the lead in the journey and taking the listener soaring skyward before twisting through a myriad of g-force turns like a dog fighting pilot. The rhythm section keeps the heartbeat of each track steady but show that they are not afraid to let loose and force that cardiogram to waver. Nameless uses his larynx to parry and thrust at times and bludgeon at others. Each track ebbs and flows like a time lapse go pro on a sea shore.
“A Crystal Lattice” swept me along with it. I am listening as I type and I realise that on this 5th listen through to the album I have found myself often just losing myself to the music. Stopping whatever else I was doing – working or scrolling through the lives of others – and just sitting, in the moment letting Self Loather wash over me and enjoying the pin pricks of pain and velvet touch of comfort each track gives.
“Sinew and Vein” is a track that I feel is worthy of special mention. Starting with a grand gothic entrance like the hallway of an 18th Century mansion it skips through time to modern post hardcore edgy guitars and staccato rhythms reminiscent of Quicksand or Wear Your Wounds whilst the vocals remain firmly rooted in extremity. This has made me fall in love with this band even more. The fact they put the feel of the track above any need to conform shows bravery (I men I need to put this into context this is not rushing over the top at the Somme or diving into a river to save a puppy) and commitment.
A piano piece follows and I am a sucker for the tinkling of the ivories. In my opinion no other instrument conveys the gamut of human emotion as well as the piano. “I hope Death Finds Me Well” is certainly an emotive piece with glorious moments but it does wander off into Liberace parody at points so I am glad when synthesized spookiness ushers some stomping metal with “For it is a Veil”.
“Unbearable” begins with the plucking of guitar strings and erupts like a geyser filled with black glitter. The middle section sounds a little like a Commodore 64 loading Hypersports – which is nostalgic and then dissonant piano and percussion join to make me feel like I have drunk the wrong tea.
Obviously, the word “Wick” does not have the same slang conations over the pond so my wry smile at “Flickering Wicks of Black” would not be understood by the band – as painful as it sounds!
This final track is a blast through the black – pummelling drums and manic vocals propelled by a rumbling bass which ends in the light of clean guitars picking our way out of the darkness.
Ghost Bath have produced a fantastic album that catches the listener in its whirlpool with chances to reach for the side gasping. Top ten of 21 material.
(9/10 Matt Mason)
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