Ghost Brigade - Guided by Fire (2007)
©Season of Mist
Finland
Tracklist:
- Rails at the River (4:49)
- Hold on Thin Line (4:11)
- Horns (3:53)
- Minus Side (4:11)
- Away and Here (4:10)
- Along the Barriers (3:29)
- Based on You (4:15)
- Disgusted by the Light (4:32)
- Autoemotive (6:16)
- Deliberately (5:09)
Sometimes less is more. Finnish newcomers ‘Ghost Brigade’ present this in fitting fashion with their debut release ‘Guided By Fire’. What we have here is a tight little package of quality metal wrapped with a bow of simplicity. How so? Even the band members themselves have stated that they only got together as friends to jam some good music. Not much thought put into it and not caring what it really sounds like. Come to find out that in all of the fun they were having, several record companies were drooling over the product. Within 24 hours of having posted a demo online, they were receiving offers. French record label ‘Season of Mist’ being the victor.
Now don’t get me wrong, Ghost Brigade isn’t your run of the mill metal act. 'Nor are they extreme in their presentation. Actually they are unique to say to say the least. As stated earlier they keep things simple which in turn results in a very enjoyable listening experience. You’ll find several different music styles here ranging from rock, doom, to influential death metal. Growls and roars included. In fact, the vocals are done fantastically! The choruses are wonderfully delivered and more or less are extremely catchy.
The drumming can be pretty plain at times and some of the guitar passages are minimal. On the other hand, many if not all of the riffs are damn good (check out the last third of ‘Away From Here’). There are lovely explosive moments throughout the album accompanied by some excellent clean keyboard passages. The entire album is really rich, melodic, melancholic and utterly beautiful. Each track individually represents the sheer class of this release.
The production of the album is excellent, encompassing the atmosphere created by the band. That doesn’t mean that the album is perfect. A couple of the tracks seem to have empty endings and it feels like the album loses a bit of steam during the later half in comparison to the first several tracks. But that’s ok! In the end Ghost Brigade managed to create something quite special, chalk full of character and charisma. It will be very interesting to see what these guys will come up with for future projects.
If you are looking for something fresh that doesn’t come across as a carbon copy of albums past, then sink your teeth into Ghost Brigades ‘Guided By Fire’. You’ll be surprised just how much can you get with such few ingredients.
-Joel
