Released on: 3rd March 2020
With just over three-quarters of a hour of musical prose Ghost Toast offer up an articulate indulgence of melody and emotion on this, their fourth release. Titled Shape Without Form the Hungarian quartet give context to synergy on these compositions. Working together the group integrate a nuanced aural meal delivered with a rich palette of timbres and rhythms.
Shape Without Form is an apt name for this album. It comes almost as a relief that instead of defining their songs in lingual constraints Ghost Toast furnish their songs with universally understood layers of sound. Ranging from moody power riffs to ephemeral synthetics and delicate arpeggios to stomping rhythms. There is a lot going on and it is wonderfully inspiring. Capitalising on the strengths of the prog genre in that it has no true defining style.
With all that being said there are space for vocals. When on occasion riffs lay a foundation without constructing a melody. However the album is not bereft of vocals, and not that it is a requirement for engagement, but when they come they deliver. It is with that attitude, the attitude that if the shoe fits, that they give substance to the groups philosophy beneath the songs. And so for all the pretense that is often heuristically encultured in prog Ghost Toast exude a surprisingly humble and sophisticated sound.
Shape Without Form is like a conversation. It gives and it takes, it listens and disputes, and it reiterates and embellishes. A conversation, for the most part, without words that speaks louder than any demanding vocalist. And it is with those sentiments that it becomes like voyeurism, and a candid look into the minds of musicians.
8/10
