It’s a rare but wonderful sight to watch a band grow and learn with each record, building on their talent and raw potential to create the album they had in them all along. Denmark’s Ghost Iris are such a band, treading in a style that’s been around so long it’s almost in vogue again, progressive metalcore. Ghost Iris started out as a fairly straightforward djent group, and their first two releases showcased an ability to craft incredibly fun riffs, but aside from a few riffs there was little that truly stood out from the wealth of djent in the last decade. Each record had at least one song that hinted at future greatness, but even going back now, there’s definitely something missing compared to later works.
It wasn’t until 2019’s Apple Of Discord that potential turned into power, where quality songwriting met with soaring riffs. It definitely pulled from the Periphery, Heart Of A Coward, and Erra playbooks, but there was something uniquely compelling about Ghost Iris’ third record, everything was meant to be huge, even when the final results didn’t quite measure up to lofty ambitions. Songs like The Devil’s Plaything, The Rat & The Snake, and Virus were clear standouts due to what I call danceable riffs with fairly varied song structures. There were a few things holding the band back, like some clunky breakdowns and awkward transitions between the low-end verses and high-pitched choruses, but those were not damning issues. The result was a fun, great listen with promise if things were smoothed out a bit.
Thankfully, Comatose is like butter throughout, with the band’s best riffs, hooks, and a multitude of funkable djent riffs. In fact, Coda might have my favourite djent riff in the last decade, which somehow transitions perfectly to the band’s most relaxed and melodic song to date in the name of Ebb/Flow. It’s that tunes title that gets at why their fourth record is such a delight, it just flows masterfully. It takes a lot of extra energy, songcraft, and talent to get a full-length progressive metalcore/djent album to actually work well as a full listen, and that’s what Ghost Iris have done here. Each song works well in isolation but much better in sequencing. From the blunt force beginning, the more melodic middle, and exceptionally heavy ending, Comatose is a masterclass in song order.
It helps that the band’s best riffs, melodies, and song writing all finally come together throughout the record. There are still a couple odd transitions, but they oddly feel purposeful, like they are trying to jar the listener back awake. The record’s dark cult-like themes work wonders with the natural rise and fall of the record’s tunes. Oh, and Comatose is, above all else, Fun as Hell. This is the sound of a band who know what they want to do and just reminding the listener again and again of just that. A real firecracker of a great time. 7/10
Osiah – Loss (Unique Leader) [Liam True]
Two albums in and the North Eastern wrecking crew have already been given the moniker of ‘Heaviest Band In The UK’ by a few publications. And while in my opinion they don’t fit the quality of the ‘heaviest’ band, they fit the mark of being on of the UK’s brightest forces in leading the charge of Deathcore to the masses. Loss is an incredible piece of art that picks up where Kingdom Of Lies leaves off and improves on the theory tenfold.
Increasing the technical prowess of guitarist Chris Keepin as his fretboard work is unparalleled to anyone in the scene. Drummer Noah Plant makes easy work to keep the tempo up to scratch as he pummels the kit into extinction while bassist Carl Dunn uses his machine gun sounding bass to keep the sound from falling silent. The album itself it just pure carnage. It’s a 50 minute stomp to the face to anyone who questions the state of Deathcore, both in and out of the UK, but Osiah are keeping the flame high and dry as they craft the landscape that came before them. Songs like The Second Law & Queen Of Sorrow provide an insight to the vocal skill of frontman Ricky Lee Roper as he alternates between his tectonic plate shifting growls to the demonic highs that his chords can produce, and on times often sounding like a zombie from Call Of Duty that wants to infect you with the vile music that’s being produced.
With guest appearances from the slam king himself, Jason Evans of Ingested & Ben Duerr of Shadow Of Intent, the album from start to finish is an absolute belter with no songs being the same in terms of song writing and ability to show off their talents. Although previously a one man project by Roper, then transforming into Humanity Depraved, before rebranding as Osiah in 2012, the band has come a long way and will continue to shape the land of Deathcore in years to come. And right now, Loss is at the top of the chain. And it’ll take an armed army to even try to make the album budge from that pedestal. 9/10
Two albums in and the North Eastern wrecking crew have already been given the moniker of ‘Heaviest Band In The UK’ by a few publications. And while in my opinion they don’t fit the quality of the ‘heaviest’ band, they fit the mark of being on of the UK’s brightest forces in leading the charge of Deathcore to the masses. Loss is an incredible piece of art that picks up where Kingdom Of Lies leaves off and improves on the theory tenfold.
Increasing the technical prowess of guitarist Chris Keepin as his fretboard work is unparalleled to anyone in the scene. Drummer Noah Plant makes easy work to keep the tempo up to scratch as he pummels the kit into extinction while bassist Carl Dunn uses his machine gun sounding bass to keep the sound from falling silent. The album itself it just pure carnage. It’s a 50 minute stomp to the face to anyone who questions the state of Deathcore, both in and out of the UK, but Osiah are keeping the flame high and dry as they craft the landscape that came before them. Songs like The Second Law & Queen Of Sorrow provide an insight to the vocal skill of frontman Ricky Lee Roper as he alternates between his tectonic plate shifting growls to the demonic highs that his chords can produce, and on times often sounding like a zombie from Call Of Duty that wants to infect you with the vile music that’s being produced.
With guest appearances from the slam king himself, Jason Evans of Ingested & Ben Duerr of Shadow Of Intent, the album from start to finish is an absolute belter with no songs being the same in terms of song writing and ability to show off their talents. Although previously a one man project by Roper, then transforming into Humanity Depraved, before rebranding as Osiah in 2012, the band has come a long way and will continue to shape the land of Deathcore in years to come. And right now, Loss is at the top of the chain. And it’ll take an armed army to even try to make the album budge from that pedestal. 9/10
Dødsferd’s latest release is a 7” EP, containing two tracks, Skotadi and Cursed To Die At First Light. At under ten minutes long this is going to be a purchase for the die hard only but with a catalogue that includes ten full length albums, alongside numerous split and EP releases, if you are a fan of this band, that is unlikely to be an obstacle. It’s an emotive affair, with Skotadi explosive from the opening bars. Whilst much black metal sounds repetitive and uninspiring these days, this track contains all the attributes required. The demonic croaking lyrics are spat forth with bile and hatred, but never muted in a mix that allows the 90s feel to compete with the more contemporary sound perfectly.
The walls of tremolo riffing create a cascade that shimmers, the dark and cold feel entrancing. This is followed by Cursed To Die At First Light, a slightly shorter song and delivered in similar vein to Skotadi. It’s an intense sleigh ride, opening at full throttle but calming the pace halfway without losing any of the intensity. Harrowing and desperate howls are dominant, but once more the drumming is ferocious, the riffs relentless and the underlying melody memorable. Completed by vocalist, guitarist, and bassist Wrath (Nikos Spanakis) and newly recruited drummer ND (Nikos S), this may be for purists only but twenty years into their career, Skotos provides a gateway to a discography ripe for exploration. 7/10
One of our former reviews enjoyed the previous album by Signum Regis back in 2019. The Seal Of A New World earned 8/10 This seven-track EP that is longer than many albums we review. Think about it. Reign In Blood is a mere 29 minutes in length and think of the damage that it did in under half an hour. But don’t think for one minute that there is any comparison between that thrash metal flag bearer and this noodling ball of power metal… because there isn’t one. Starting with Given Up For Lost, Signum Regis begin with a rather routine but up tempo song that contains about a million power metal cliches in under four minutes. It’s pacy, catchy and an immediate demonstration that the band can play.
However, the second track, a cover of Angra’s Stand Away is a bit of a wet one, with singer Jota Fortinho, who made his debut The Seal Of A New World album, hitting notes that maybe he shouldn’t have been asked to. Signum Regis have been around since 2007 when Ronnie König formed the band. It’s hard to work out what their modus operandi actually is on this EP. A couple of standard power metal tracks sit slightly uncomfortably next to more melodic musical explorative pieces which show the quality of musicianship, and a perfectly polished production but which may not always naturally lie side by side.
Flag Of War deceives with its ghastly intro before expanding into another routine track. The final two songs, the rather gentle and captivating Amorenada, and the bonus Ave Maria (which is an exercise in ego) just fail to ignite the spirits and 32 minutes leave you wondering what you just listened to. There is little substance to this EP. It just passes you by. I do wonder if this collection is merely a stop gap between albums. It certainly feels that way. 5/10
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