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Okay first things first: it will be have to be a bloody great year for black metal to knock down Ghost Bath's 'Golden Number' from the 'Best songs of 2015' podium. Just check it out and hear for yourself why it's mix of melancholy, elation, anger, sorrow, beauty and a whole bunch of other emotions and feelings create such an irresistible song. With a length of over 9 minutes, you still want it to go on and on and on. I know I am jumping on the Ghost Bath praise bandwagon here but it is just impossible to ignore the appeal of 'Moonlover'. Sure, it is a highly fashionable form of black metal and just like bands as Deafheaven, Alcest and Woods of Desolation draw in fans from unlikely sides (affectionately called 'black metal hipsters'), Ghost Bath is guaranteed to one of those hyped bands of 2015. And if they won't be, well that is totaly unjustifiable. Call it hipster, call it trendy, but there is no way you can call it bad. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and even I prefer my black metal to be more old school, but as I said in the first sentence of this review, it will have to be a spectacular year in metal for this not to end up in yearlists worldwide.
The trick for this kind of (black) metal to work is to have it sound sincere and heartfelt. And here is where it gets a bit tricky. A lot of controversy and accusations of fakery have been surrounding Ghost Bath the last couple of months, due to the fact it turned out they weren't from China (as perceived by the media and the fans) but from North Dakota, USA and supposedly lied about that. Whether this was intentional or not is not relevant but highly divided opinions were the result of that. But you know what? I'm going to say to hell with that controversy, I'm just going to focus on the music. Whatever reasons they have or had for this shroud of mystery is up to them. I couldn't care less. But back to the sincerety issue; absolutely none of this has rubbed off on the music. It remains what it is: a gorgeous piece of melodic black metal. Yes it is stylish, yes it is fashionable and yes this subgenre is very in vogue at the moment. None of that matters though; 'Moonlover' is a great album. Gorgeous melodies, terrific songwriting and musicianship. It's a pity the commotion and controversy surrounding Ghost Bath will affect the preconceptions of a lot of people because it would be a shame to pass this by on the basis of them not being upfront about their identity.
So let's just take it for what it is. Brilliant (post) black metal, that is a must-have for fans of Deafheaven, Woods of Desolation and the likes. And you know what: all the commotion will have died down in a couple of months, but the quality of this record will remain.
Bjorn
The trick for this kind of (black) metal to work is to have it sound sincere and heartfelt. And here is where it gets a bit tricky. A lot of controversy and accusations of fakery have been surrounding Ghost Bath the last couple of months, due to the fact it turned out they weren't from China (as perceived by the media and the fans) but from North Dakota, USA and supposedly lied about that. Whether this was intentional or not is not relevant but highly divided opinions were the result of that. But you know what? I'm going to say to hell with that controversy, I'm just going to focus on the music. Whatever reasons they have or had for this shroud of mystery is up to them. I couldn't care less. But back to the sincerety issue; absolutely none of this has rubbed off on the music. It remains what it is: a gorgeous piece of melodic black metal. Yes it is stylish, yes it is fashionable and yes this subgenre is very in vogue at the moment. None of that matters though; 'Moonlover' is a great album. Gorgeous melodies, terrific songwriting and musicianship. It's a pity the commotion and controversy surrounding Ghost Bath will affect the preconceptions of a lot of people because it would be a shame to pass this by on the basis of them not being upfront about their identity.
So let's just take it for what it is. Brilliant (post) black metal, that is a must-have for fans of Deafheaven, Woods of Desolation and the likes. And you know what: all the commotion will have died down in a couple of months, but the quality of this record will remain.
Bjorn
