Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 12:37 PM by Nikos Nakos
Genre: Death Metal
Country: Finland
Label: Me Saco Un Ojo Records
Year: 2015
Ghastly belong to this category of bands you come across accidentally or because a good friend of yours mentioned them to you; those bands you dive into the very depths of their material without giving a damn about the hours of your life you’ll spend for them; it’s about those records that complete your collection like a lost puzzle piece. Got carried away, but you catch my drift. Let’s unravel the thread from the beginning. Ghastly come from the beautiful city of Tampere, southern Finland, and they were formed in 2011. Since then they released a Demo in 2011 entitled “Death Is Present” and an EP in 2013 entitled “Serpentine Union / The Divine Fire”. Their first full length work, with which we will be dealing here, was released in 2015, having the title “Carrion of Time” and handed slaps to those who listened to it without prior knowledge of the band.
“Carrion of Time” is an album that balances between the melodies of (north-) European Death Metal scene and the filthiness / rawness of the West. Ghastly created compositions based on classical (theoretically) Death Metal structures, grafting them with intense Doom elements and a small taste of Punk / Crust aesthetics during their faster parts (for example, listen to “Serpentine Union”). If we could describe the music of Ghastly with practical terms, we would say that their music is a mixture of Autopsy, Benediction and Asphyx. The sonic result is extremely, though compactly, bulky. What excited me is the fact that Ghastly have injected to their music a good dosage of immediacy, meaning that from the very first track of the album, I felt trapped in the band’s dense web. Their music is far from impersonal or tasteless. It’s an album with such character and such dynamics that automatically can turn you into a diehard fan of the band. Even the cover artwork is incredible. With the color red being dominant and the sketches / figures having great details, the cover stirs your interest. It could adorn your living room walls. A gem, really.
“Carrion of Time” is an amazing record, from every possible angle. It’s an album that flows and fills your time pleasantly and tirelessly. Since it’s a [musically-wise and aesthetically-wise] bomb, it certainly deserves your attention. Good listening!
