Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us (2011)
©Season of Mist
Finland
Tracklist:
- In The Woods
- Clawmaster
- Chamber
- Traces of Liberty
- Divine Acts or Lunacy
- Grain
- Breakwater
- Cult Of Decay
- Torn
- Soulcarvers
It is absolutely astonishing to think that time has flown by so quickly that we have come to Ghost Brigade’s third studio release Until Fear No Longer Defines Us. By now it has become abundantly clear that I am particularly fond of this band and will take any chance I can to speak my mind of these Fantastic Fins (ugggg). So is this the next big thing for Ghost Brigade? Is it evident their creative prowess expanded from what we’ve know to love and/or expect from the band? The answer is yes and no.
You see, Ghost Brigade makes some wickedly awesome riffs and have an impact performance with their music. Although it seems a terrible thing to veer away from such genius, the risk a band can run is the "borrowing" from their past success without realizing it. A few of the tracks have, what it seems, reused segments of riffs/outro from previous releases (ex: Chamber). This is not a deal breaker but certainly does not go unnoticed each time you listen to the track. Part of that risk/reward factor also comes into play when considering the reaction of the established fan base. In most cases, fans (let’s hope) become bored of the repetition/reuse, but considering how great the band performs these songs, they easily make it forgivable. If I were the band, I would dare not dip from the same well any further.
Ghost Brigade’s heart and soul are still fully charged and it shows. Each track has a sensational charm to it. The guitar seems heavier. The drums are more involved. The bass, while present, does the job (please more next time) and the brief appearance of strings make things interesting. The vocals however are as good as ever, mixing the unique clear with signature dynamic roars. I dare say that the most experimentation involved in this album is the use of clear vocals in songs like Grain that could have easily worked with either vocal type. In fact, there is an abundance of clear vocals throughout the album. Although I don’t mind this (and think Grain is divine), it seems a shame to decrease the use and amount of such great harsh vocals by any measure.
Until Fear No Longer Defines Us is indeed an excellent release from a band that has shown us that there is still plenty of fuel in the tank of metal music. Ghost Brigade have never sounded better and although at times track segments do not sound entirely original in contrast to their previous efforts, there is an outstanding air of triumph that can be detected from start to finish. This has a major positive impact on this release and is reason alone for the album to be heard. The band have certainly earned their stripes and by now should have an established place in your regularly played music collection.
- Joel
