GHOST BATH
Rose Thorn Necklace
NUCLEAR BLAST
Post-black metal forerunners stay ahead of the pack
Routinely lauded – and occasionally mocked – for their melancholia and initial lyric-less shriek approach, Ghost Bath’s influence on the current crop of post-black metal bands is more apparent in their 12th year than ever before. Coming in just shy of 36 minutes, Rose Thorn Necklace is stuffed full of unexpected ideas, twists and turns that belie its run-time. Vodka Butterfly is anthemic despair in extremis by way of staccato crystalline synths, soaring guitar lines, and even an unexpected drum’n’bass beat that somehow weaves into the maelstrom with consummate ease. The instrumental Thinly Sliced Heart Muscle oozes suffering, with just the use of a clean channel guitar and some gorgeous and evocative synths. Ghost Bath have made no effort to dull their most jagged edges while remaining creatively liberated, still marking them as leaders, not followers.