(((S))) – Ghost
Scandinavia is sufficiently bleak to take credit for fostering the veritable smorgasbord of dark metal, brooding ambience and piercing Goth-rock it produces.
True to form, Copenhagen’s one-man mystery (((S))) rather fancies himself as The Cure circa Disintegration, but ever so slightly splices his light-fingered lift with atmospheric post-punk, classic psych-rock riffs and the merest hint of Gruff Rhys.
Opening with a nod to the latter, ‘In The Shadow Of A Shadow’ swirls stygian psychedelia around a Goth-tinged and toe-tapping plodder, whereas the chord progressions on ‘Mesmerized’ come on strongly like Blue Öyster Cult’s ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’
The more optimistic ‘Hungover’ pops and bubbles with relaxed energy. The menacing bass line which courses through ‘When The Well Runs Dry’ oozes with Interpol-brand bluster. Even the vocal here affects its best Paul Banks impression in compliance. The tremulant and purposeful reverb of ‘Mamachild’ and ‘Deathtrip’ are more squarely from the bedraggled book of Robert Smith whose influence permeates the remainder of Ghost credibly.
(((S))) may swaddle himself in wilful obscurity (and parentheses) now but another album of this quality may force him to come out of hiding and face his fans.