Beyond The Shore: Ghostwatcher

Kentucky metalcore crew still learning in the shadows

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This young Lexington, KY quintet are certainly a bunch of self-starters. They’ve certainly always known where their place in modern metalcore is. After recording their first slice of death-inspired mosh metal at the studio of As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis, they’ve signed to AILD’s label for the release of their first album.

Way to pigeonhole yourself, guys. That’s not to say there aren’t any exciting moments during this half-hour debut, opener, Dividers builds into the pulsating but strangely jarring Half Lived, the thumping beats of Homewrecker are tempered by guitars that crash around before an even more bizarre electronic trigger occurs. It’s a tacked-on crash; an unnatural explosion.

Later on, the breakneck speed of Visions is a welcome change of pace, encompassing some good riffs before petering out but this is the story of Ghostwatcher: a perfectly acceptable, if not largely unremarkable, first album from a young band spoiled by unnecessary bells and whistles. They’ll have another chance to do better.