8/10
I heard of Casseblank Records a few months back after Beasts released their EP with them, and as I really like the idea of releasing material on cassette tape, I kept an eye on them for their future releases and when it was announced that their next release was going to be from a band called Ghost Of The Avalanche, I decided to give them a listen. To my surprise, it was a two-man band featuring a drummer and bassist, which is right up my street, so I knew I’d like them before even hearing a note from them.
Needless to say, their upcoming mini-album Hide The Truth, set to drop on September 13, is an absolutely superb release and what is really good is the fact that all of the songs are nice and short with only two surpassing the two-minute mark! It really helps to keep the ideas fresh and original and keeps them from sounding repetitive, which can only be a good thing.
These Sharks is a perfect opening song with an absolutely killer intro. This one is my personal favourite and has been stuck in my head for a considerable amount of time now – and clearly it isn’t just me, as it has even been played on BBC6 Music! It’s just incredibly catchy, with memorable basslines and strong vocals, and leads nicely into the following track Black And Red which is again a wildly catchy tune. The drums really stand out to me in this one, especially near the end of the track which almost feels like a bit of a jamming session with the drums really seeming to shine!
Nasty Wolves is a noisy aggressive little number filled with a lot of energy crammed into a very short space – at just 41 seconds long, blink and you’ll miss it! What I love about this track is that I seem to notice something new on every listen.
Penultimate track Reality TV is another of my favourites – the clapping and effects added to the bass really give this one another dimension and I like the whole “sound” the track has! It’s quite bouncy and has a lot of energy without sounding burned out.
It seems kind of apt that the closing track, Ghost Train, is also the longest track of the mini-album. Although this track is no means long, at just under three minutes, it seems to sum up the whole release rather well – it seems to have little elements from all of the other tracks within it and is a nice little mix of sounds.
All in all, a very promising release from a band that looks set to take the underground by storm! Check them out – you won’t be disappointed. The limited-edition album can be preordered from right here!
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