The season of the witch is upon us!!!! With Halloween just days away, it seemed more than fitting to check out some new Black Metal. Why not listen to some truly “scary movie” music with my favorite holiday just at hand. With that being said, the new cut from Ghost Bath Is a musical force to be reckoned with. 

The first thing that really hit me on Self-Loather (Nuclear Blast Records) was the texture and atmosphere it created. Steeped with deep melodic grooves and pick melting riffs, the listener’s mind can’t help but to conjure images of monsters and demons. This album could easily be a soundtrack to a wonderful nightmare. 

Blasting straight off with the first track, the band takes zero time in getting down to business. They come out guns blazing but, as the cut plays on, each track brings its own flavor of evil without losing touch. They keep a good balance of slow haunting ambiance with killer riffage mixed in for good measure. The musicianship really showed through on this one as well. Whether they decided to keep it simple or get really technical it just seemed to click. The piano parts were especially enjoyable and really tied everything together as opposed to coming across as forced or tacked on. 

In the end I’m stoked to report that I was not disappointed! From beginning to end this album played through like the aforementioned soundtrack. Everything felt extremely thought out. It was almost operatic in a way. Well, at least to this layman. I think that might be my favorite thing about Black Metal. The best part is the way each song can paint an amazing picture for you to imagine. And of course this album accomplished that in its entirety! Bottom line: I would definitely recommend this album. Kudos to Ghost Bath on this offering! I look forward to hearing a lot more from this band. 

Buy the album here: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sound/vinyl/lp/ghost-bath-self-loather-grey-white-swirl-wblk-splatter-.html

8 / 10 

TORBJORN SOLGARD