I suppose a lazy, albeit understandable, comparison when trying to describe Ghost Brigade would be to state that they sound like a composite of Katatonia and Swallow The Sun and merely leave it at that. And with some tracks, the slightly poppier and comparatively easygoing Chamber and Cult of Decay for the former, with their jangly leads and massive choruses, the grinding Clawmaster and its searing leads alongside the epic Breakwater for the latter, that'd be understandable. But that's barely scratching the surface of what's on offer here.

To start things off there's the completely disarming opener In The Woods, an acoustic track that doesn't try to stretch itself out into one big aural mess, instead focusing mainly on the vocals. Its simplicity helps to get over the feeling and depth that the lyrics are trying to convey. It leads, rather clumsily I must say, into the aforementioned Clawmaster. Now while I said that Ghost Brigade take a few notes from Swallow The Sun, and especially on this track, there are elements that allow them to stand out from their peers that are obvious from the start. Firstly, the vocals, which take on more of a mid range rasp that you'd expect from Cult of Luna or some sludgy doom bands. Hell, when I first heard the band's demo a few years ago I was wondering why people were painting them as a doom band due to the vocals sounding like something from a hardcore mob. The clean vocals don't really vary much in tone or range but they work fairly well.

Secondly and possibly more importantly, is the band's atmosphere. For most doom bands, this is something that I'd take as their identity. It's easy to clone someone else's but it'll never be yours. My Dying Bride sound like My Dying Bride, and anyone else who decides to follow them will probably be labelled, for better or for worse, My Dying Bride clones, or heavily influenced by them, while not being able to stand out for their own merits. They'll always be in the shadow of another band. To bring this back on topic, for Ghost Brigade I mentioned to two common "influences" that are bandied about in relation to them. However they have a very different feel, Katatonia have their aetherial ambience, Swallow The Sun have their resonating gloom, but for Ghost Brigade I'd call it dense. Traces of Liberty is a fine showcase of this. Musically it's something that either of the other bands could've knocked out. But the feeling behind it is different. There is a weight to it, possibly down to the creep of sludge influences that pop up, maybe even down to the somewhat unpolished (but never messy) production, but it's something that helps the band come out on their own. Torn takes this sentiment and runs with it, shaking off those two bugbears completely to become a different beast altogether.

And it's that feeling that helps bring the album from a good second tier doomdeath act into one that's due to break into the top level. They have begun to develop their own identity which they can push forward, and they have excellent and varied songs on display. From the subtle In The Woods to the stunning and uplifting closing track Soulcarvers that builds up masterfully to finish the album in a grand fashion there is very little wrong here. When the worst complaint I can think of is to do with the way one track leads into another it's safe to assume that I'll have this sitting high on my end of year list. Superb.