The Ghost Of A Thousand

This Is Where The Fight Begins

Written by: PP on 04/04/2007 12:47:32

If you've been to a couple of shows in London's smaller venues (Islington, Underworld, Barfly, Metro) in the last couple of months, the chances are you've already seen Brighton-based The Ghost Of A Thousand in action with their ferocious delivery and relentless stageshow. With one foot in bottom-heavy three-chord punk scene, and another in the DIY ideals and harsh delivery of modern hardcore, The Ghost Of A Thousand is the kind of band we need in the pretentiousness of 2007 to remind us what music was originally all about: passion for what you believe in.

"This Is Where The Fight Begins" is their debut album and it hits you with the same kind of volatile fierceness as Gallows and Cancer Bats do. Go to a show of theirs, and see them tear the stage apart, watch the vocalist deliver his screamed out loud frustration in the middle of the crowd on the non-safe side of the barrier. See him mosh with the fans while still screaming of passion and anger. Before watching them perform it is difficult to understand the whole importance and depth of their album, which together with the new Gallows release, is one of the most important hardcore/punk crossover albums this year.

It opens with "Bored Of Math", where the band immediately strikes you with their honest and urgent lyrical message: "Punk rock needs you again, Generation X is dead!". The vocalist screams from the bottom of his lungs throughout and clean vocals are a rare sight (on the entire the album actually), solidifying what the lyrics already tell us: these guys are pissed off, and I mean really pissed off. Don't expect any technicalities or gimmicks, it's straight forward three-chords almost all the way through, but it is aggressive, explosive and erratic, it's as underground as punk can be in 2007. There are no standout tracks on the album, just a grey mass of punk rock aggression and unpredictable fury. It's the kind of music that outrages parents and shocks the mainstream, and the kind that is shunned by the scenekids. It's raw, it's ugly, and resenting, and it's most definitely hard to make friends with, but it has DIY written all over it. It is relased on a tiny obscure record label, and the band has made their name by touring relentlessly near the capital.

This is punk rock how it was supposed to be, rebellious as fuck, heavy and disregarding to everyone and everything, and as honest as you can ever imagine. These guys will never be big, but that's not the point. This is a big wake up call to the pretentious music scene, a scream of change that will hopefully guide the scene towards more honesty, more passion in the music and lyrics. Screw instrumental talent, it's all about the message. One of the most essential albums to own from 2007.

9

Download: Bored Of Math, Left For Dead
For the fans of: Gallows, Cancer Bats
Listen: Myspace

Release date 19.02.2007
Undergroove Records

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