Ghost Bath - Moonlover
Ghost Bath overcome hometown conspiracy on beautiful yet sinister release
North Dakota-bred (not China, as they once claimed) group Ghost Bath are the sort of band that like to paint an artistic picture with their music, and expand beyond the simple fun catharsis that metal’s aggressive nature can provide. Their Facebook claims that they see music as “an extension of one's own soul”, and while to some this will seem like pretentious drivel, Moonlover does a good job at backing up this statement. It’s filled with alt-rock-esque shoe-gaze guitars that draw you in and play with your emotions, while its racing blastbeats can create an imminent feeling of dread.
Rather than the sheer sonic violence of black metal’s usual demonic growls, Ghost Bath deliver menacing shrieks that drive home an overarching feel of despair. They juxtapose this despair with softer moments, however, and show that Moonlover is as much about its moments of hopeful serenity as it is the sinister atmosphere that tracks like ‘Death and the Maiden’ thrive on.
Elsewhere, the rumbling drums of ‘Golden Number’ remind of a stampede of footsteps, so much so that it’ll put you on edge. However, just a couple of tracks later the simple elegance of ‘Beneath The Shade’ is enough to make you enter a state of bewitching tranquillity. ‘The Silver Flower Pt. II’ is the spice to ‘The Silver Flower Pt. 1’s sugar, its grand guitars create the biggest, most utterly enthralling moment of Moonlover (although 'Ascension' comes close), where the delicacy of ‘...Pt. 1’ holds a more placid beauty.
Put simply, music does not come much more captivating than this. You may not think music is some kind of spiritual experience, but if one band was to convince you of such, Ghost Bath would be it.
9.5/10
