Super excited about this new split 12" featuring Ghost Spirit and Frail Hands, which is coming out August 24th. Both of these bands put out absolutely crushing debut albums last year (coincidentally both self-titled), and are returning with a fury on this new split. With Jack Shirley at the production helm, this record sounds absolutely fantastic, with both sides just tearing it up. It's a joint release by Twelve Gauge Records and Blue Swan Records, set for release next Friday. Below is just some of my rambling thoughts on it, but to keep it short, this split is a scorcher, and one that cannot be missed by any fan of modern screamo with a hardcore spirit. You can stream and pre-order it below.
The first side of the split is kicked off by LA's Ghost Spirit, a four-piece band featuring members of Lord Snow, Tower of Silence, Seeing Means More and Letters to Catalonia. With such an impeccable line-up, the music is bound to deliver, and deliver it does. Ghost Spirit take the first 6 tracks of this split, and they immediately kick in with "Sick Dreams", featuring nuanced, angular chords, pumping drum beats, and shrieked vocals. Stylistically, they come somewhere between the raw, emotional outpouring of The Spirit Versailles and the melodic chaos of a band like Raein. Even in the first track, Ghost Spirit establish themselves as a versatile act. The second track "The Guilt Of Your Affection" is a definite highlight, beginning with bright guitars and sung vocals before breaking down into this off-beat syncopation, which is jarring in the most intense of ways. They conclude by hammering down on some heavy chords with layered vocals, which closes out this 2 and half minute epic.
"A Hollow Peak" offers up one of the most impassioned vocal deliveries I've heard recently, while "Dark Winter" and "Skull" are excellent examples of subtle dynamic use. The closer, "In Parting" is another highlight, beginning with some melodic chords and singing that plays out like Sunny Day Real Estate as a screamo band. This is by far the longest track on this split (over 5 minutes), and it builds to a cavernous snare-roll median, with quiet arpeggios and spoken word atop it. As the vocals became more desperate and layered, the instrumental builds up to an incredible climax that warrants an Envy comparison (the highest of compliments, of course). Lyrically, this entire side is incredible and could be read as poetry, but this song in particular I wanted to shout out, since they hit pretty close to home. Ghost Spirit's side truly blew me away, with every track offering something slightly different, and their members displaying a true perfection of their art.
The second side is dominated by Halifax's Frail Hands, a fairly new band who broke incredible ground last year with their debut LP. They tear through songs all under the 2-minute mark, with a distinct sense melody buried underneath their chaos. Sonically, they're fairly reminiscent of bands like Loma Prieta and the incredibly underrated Mahria. Following their LP, I was excited to see where they would go next, and this split is a progression and testament to their already incredible sound. With 6 songs in under 9 minutes, they waste no time pulling their punches. Even as the first track, "The Image Of You" begins at a quiet pace, I got a sense of immediate tension and adrenaline for what's about to come. The band falls into chaotic bliss, hammering out chords and drums with these strained, animalistic vocals seething beneath. Coming off the melodic (a word I use VERY loosely) first side, this is immediately darker and more aggressive, an excellent juxtaposition and a big reason this split works so well.
"Mortar And Pestle" is a flurry of relentless feedback, blast beats and cymbals, while "Collateral" presents a few more instrumental change-ups, giving the listener a second (in near-literal terms) to breathe before their chaos resumes. "Atonement" makes incredible use of a subtle tremolo effect at times (could just be a neck bend, but it sounds awesome). Totally irrelevant to this, but it made me imagine
Loveless being covered by screamo bands, which is now something I want in my life. Anyway, the following two tracks are definite highlights on this split. "In Conclusion" packs a heavy emotional punch, with some amazing vocals and chord choices. Those flashes of melodic lead lines near the end are simply fantastic. The closer, "Every Volatile Thing" blasts in with this glorious-sounding tremolo pattern and snare roll. This track is crushing with its seamless blend of melody and dissonance, and the perfect outro for this entire split.
Overall, as you can probably tell by my wall-of-text rant, I love this split. These two bands are easily some of the best offerings in today's screamo scene, and though they don't sound quite a like, they compliment each other perfectly through these 12 tracks. I cannot recommend checking this out enough, and if you haven't, go back and check out their debuts from last year too. You can listen to the album below, and pre-order the record as well, which will be officially released on August 24. Enjoy.
