Hot off the press, Ghost Gore released its newest album, House of the Devil, in mid-July under Wood and Stone Productions. The blistering eight tracks on the record are laced with heavy guitar riffs, heart-pounding double bass drums and intimidating vocals. The local deathcore band—Nicholas Henry Bartel, Harrison Hunt, Andrew Delph and Logan Kinsey—is shaking skulls as it breaks into one of the most sophisticated, brutal and often misunderstood rock ’n’ roll subgenres known today.
Ghost Gore has painted a vivid yet jagged image with the release of House of the Devil. This record falls into the basket of acquired tastes. From front to back, it comes off as a somewhat reckless attempt at metal music; however, this texture of reckless abandon is a favorable characteristic of deathcore. Ghost Gore nails this element. Clarity, either vocally or instrumentally, is less of a determining factor of what makes or breaks a good deathcore record. Instead, the muffled blanket of pulsating bass is the record’s underlying core. Messy guitar, shattering cymbal crashes, anxious rhythms—these are all the norm in the genre, and Ghost Gore comes close to hitting the metal mark.
At first glance, the cover artwork by Diko Nursyahra captures the essence of what Ghost Gore is all about; however, while there is an element of terror present in the shredding, Ghost Gore hasn’t quite yet achieved the larger-than-life image suggested by the artwork’s depiction of an ominous-looking mansion flowing with lava. The missing link is largely the result of the lackluster production style. As full-blast as it is, House of the Devil nonetheless has a watered-down effect, as though it’s missing something. In addition, the album’s theme isn’t established clearly enough to inspire any sort of emotional relationship with the lyrics. Ghost Gore did a nice job overall within the genre instrumentally, which seems to be the biggest source of emotional appeal. The shredding guitar passages offer an adrenaline rush that any musical daredevil would enjoy.
Metal fans, House of the Devil is available for purchase via woodandstonemusic.storenvy.com or digitally at ghostgore.bandcamp.com.
