Review Summary: Ghost B.C. dabble in the mellow sounds of new age with their five track E.P. asking if you too have ghosts?
Jaded:Â*Bored, no longer interested, often due to overexposure. This seems to be the mating call of the current rock and metal fan. Little available on the market serves to inspire or tantalize anymore. Some days I can commiserate, as I am inundated over and over again with same sounding bands one after another. Many say that Ghost B.C. belong in that trap with oh so many other. Sure their stage presence sets them apart a little; there seems to be a clear divide between the fans of the band and those that see them as nothing but clones of another era. Personally I have been jamming with the Ghoul’s since their debut release a back in 2010.
One thing is for certain, the musical style of the band continues to evolve. From the doomish, jam inspired riff’s on Opus Eponymous to the cirque du diablo swing vibes of tracks like Secular Haze (it’s in waltz timing! how metal is that?!) Papa Emeritus II and his gang of Ghouls show they are unafraid to experiment with their sound. Working in conjunction with the one and only Dave Grohl (once rumored to be a member of the band) the band offers up a quick and satisfying E.P. for the end of 2013. Four cover songs and a live track; If You Have Ghosts is an interesting listen for anyone with leanings towards the darker end of new age music (especially that of the Swedish variety). Hailing from the Scandinavian country, the band offers up tracks from Army of Lovers and Abba. The cover of Waiting for the Night was included on the Japanese edition of Infestissumam and is an interesting take on the track. It is however nowhere near as effective as their cover of Here Comes the Sun on the Opus Eponymous release. The same can be said for their cover of I’m a Marionette. Each song has the same filthy, slightly disturbed undertones found on the deeper cuts of Infestissumam.
The new covers for this E.P. (which were produced by Grohl) are worthy additions to the bands repertoire. Their cover of If You Have Ghosts (by American singer/songwriter Roky Erickson) is an obscure but excellent song from the band. It is hard to put a finger on the exact style they were going for, up front the song sounds like something that would have been on top 40 radio in the 70’s. Under that glossy surface there is a lovely, almost church-like musical vibe woven throughout the track. Â*The final new song is a cover of Crucified, originally by Army of Lovers. For fans of Ghost’s first album this song is definitely a treat. Papa’s sinister growling takes the original to an all new level of depravity and the Nameless Ghouls, coupled with Grohl’s production make this their best sounding studio recording yet.
Speaking of studio recordings, one area that the band has struggled with is bringing the sheer bombast of their live presence (or dead presence) to recorded media. The live version of Secular Haze (taken from a show in Brooklyn that yours truly was in attendance for) finally puts the band in all of its demonic glee on record. The song which is above average on the original studio release transforms into utter glory when presented live. Beyond the four cover tracks, this is the real gem on the E.P. and hopefully is a precursor to a full live release or DVD in the future.
If You Have Ghosts is available for download now, and a stream of the entire E.P. can be located at:
http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/11/stream-ghost-b-c-s-dave-grohl-produced-ep-if-you-have-ghost/
