Released on: 29th Octorber 2021
You know what else is not from China? Your crockery– Ghost Bath’s intriguing past marketing decisions aside this, their fourth album, is by all accounts transcendental. Moving out of the porcine restrictions of Black Metal purists. Self Loather gives a sincere performance of candid tunes with added flare and a touch of flavour.
A cocktail of extreme tremolo magnificence approaching djent like staples, with a hint of tragedy and a touch of loss. Self Loather starts strong and manifests diabolical rhythms like a nymph looking for her lost veil in a forest. Therein lies a beautiful juxtaposition. Where Ghost Bath are anything but lost on Self Loather.
This record is dripping with confidence, and that you can hear in its composition. Throughout the album the songs example fearlessness to rock the boat, as it were. Where in its duration it varies from avant-garde black metal inspired cacophony to softer and more seductive solo pieces. These latter moments let the abrasive riffs air and give them space to sink in. Giving a lot of material in between their serenade.
It is with a sense of maudlin and resilience that Self Loather shines amidst its heavy mood. The atmosphere is intense and in the albums furor– relentless. Similarly, every so often that miasma of frustration gives way to a clearer but equally aloof tune to give context. Meeting the aggressive tendencies on display head on. Here there is a pattern of misery captured. Contained in the succession of chords. And, a shade that Ghost Bath never seem to shake here.
Overall this is a solid album. Even as it diverges into a more comprehensive stream of consciousness than ritual noise. It holds a certain amount of artistry to its self-imposed genre label. Of DSBM. In hindsight the term is style. This album might not be the most inspirational or motivational collection of songs, but it certainly shows its heart on its sleeve.
7/10
