Ghost Brigade - Guided By Fire
Season Of Mist
Progressive Metal
10 songs (44:49)
Release year: 2007
Ghost Brigade, Season Of Mist
Reviewed by Goat

Hailing from Finland, Ghost Brigade play an atmospheric mix of genres, moving between Melodic Death Metal growls and riffing and a more melodic, expansive progressive Blackness, rather like recent Enslaved. It’s hard to define exactly; there’s some post-Hardcore in there as well, making the band sound at times like a more catchy Neurosis. There’s also a Gothic/Doom feel from the emotional infusion that’s obvious from the outset, and that places this band a step above the competition.

For a group on its first full length, Ghost Brigade has definitely done a stellar job with Guided By Fire; the album has a natural ebb and flow, giving the heavy/light style new life. Both heavy and light sections are professional and interesting, with excellent riffs galore, the vocalist having both a pleasant Katatonian singing voice and a fierce, throaty growl. If there’s a problem with the album at all it’s that it can get a little dull, without much variation over the forty-odd minutes running time. Like the Swedes, you really need to give this a few listens before the intricacies become clear, but it’s worth the effort. Despite the similarities between songs, they are all of a pretty high value when taken individually, each and every track having a nice epic vibe and enough depth to keep the album on the playlist for more than a couple of listens. With familiarity you’ll find yourself picking out favourite tracks - personal favourites being Minus Side’s percussion and Autoemotive with its atmospheric keyboards.

Production is clean, as you’d expect, although the music is pretty uncommercial, all hails to the band for the choice - this could easily have been the latest flash-in-the-pan Metalcore band to get critical praise for doing something interesting with an increasingly worn-out genre, and that Ghost Brigade has kept things Metal deserves praise. It can never be said too much: good bands deserve support, and whilst for many nowadays ‘support’ means downloading the album and mentioning it on a messageboard, the likes of Ghost Brigade deserve much, much more.

Overall, there’s little anyone could dislike on Guided By Fire, save through personal taste – for example, the slightly robotic spoken vocals on album closer Deliberately just didn’t do it for me. Looking into the future, it’s easy to see the band doing well if given the chance, as there’s enough skill and conviction here to offer much in the coming years. Ghost Brigade is well worth your interest.

-MySpace
Killing Songs :
All, personal favourites: Rails At The River, Minus Side, Autoemotive
Goat quoted 80 / 100
Other albums by Ghost Brigade that we have reviewed:
Ghost Brigade - IV - One With the Storm reviewed by Goat and quoted 85 / 100
Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us reviewed by Jaime and quoted 91 / 100
Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs reviewed by Goat and quoted 84 / 100
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