Review Summary: Following in the footsteps of giants.
Screamo is a heavily saturated genre with an almost cult-like following. There are certain groups that are praised with reverie amongst a sea of bands that practically no one will ever listen to. The tragedy of this ‘screamo reality’ is that incredibly talented acts are overlooked not for lack of their skill or songwriting but for their relatively small audience. Ghost Spirit form part of the wave of a few great recent screamo acts that deserve your attention.
Ghost Spirit are a relatively new project. Their first LP was released in 2017 through Blue Swan Records which was followed up by a split with Frail Hands in 2018. Both LP and split are excellent entries into the genre despite some minor teething issues naturally associated with being a new group. Hourglass represents the maturing of Ghost Spirit’s energy with improved mastering and is consequently a formidable entry into the reclusive world of screamo.
The first few tracks are all equally impressive for their instrumental technicality. They are fast, tight, short, and provide just the right amount of rhythmic variation to keep things fresh despite averaging 2 minutes each. They also satisfy all the hallmarks of screamo ranging from frantic guitar work and janky ultra speed drumlines to the pained screams of Alex Bigman and the odd, but typical monotonous spoken dialogue behind slow clean sections. The opening tracks, “A Riddle, No Answer” and “Rome” perfectly captures the solid songwriting foundations that make Ghost Spirit impressive challengers amongst some of the great screamo acts.
Going beyond songwriting simply, there is a tenderness and honesty that is captured through the later tracks. ‘Desire Lines’ proves that Bigman is capable of incredibly catchy and fun clean singing while still maintaining the speed that Ghost Spirit thrives on. “Look to the Stars” mixes clean singing talents with screaming at the top of your lungs and provides one of the most captivating breaks within a song that has been created for some time (approximately 2:20 in). Closing with the slow soiree “Remembering” again proves that there is more than typical screamo here and that there is a true dynamic approach to songwriting and composition across the whole release.
There are few issues that can be taken with Hourglass as it is solid for the most part. The only critique that could be mustered is that some tracks and some sections are forgettable. “Maybe Someday, Maybe Never” embodies this best as it could easily be missed over its frenzied 26 second lifespan. It provides nothing new to the broader offering and can feel more like a short poem filling gaps in a broader novel. This is however a challenge that faces music as a whole and ultimately varies between audiences.
Ghost Spirit appear to have grown organically since their first 2017 LP release. Their technical aptitude in creating screamo has consolidated well with their raw emotional energy that takes your average screamo to elevated cult-approved status screamo.
