Danish djent prodigies Ghost Iris certainly made a mark with debut album Anecdotes of Science & Soul. The 2015 recording was well received in their homeland, and in the broader tech metal scene too. Looking to capitalise on the strong start to their career, the quartet regrouped to put together their latest effort of progressive metalcore madness, Blind World.
“Gods of Neglect” opens things up, and it’s a bit of a false start. An aimless journey to nowhere, it has your typical, bog standard djent riff laid over bouncy, stuttering rhythms. Certainly not the best way to stake your claim as a new hope in the tech metal scene, but thankfully, it’s one of the weaker moments on Blind World. “Save Yourself” is an immediate step up, if only for the mix of harsh and clean vocals to break the monotony. Whilst neither approach from frontman Jesper Vicencio is fantastic, it’s more about the strong vocal harmonies and how they work with the music. The verse riff springs back and forth erratically, before a more melodic texture ventures forth in the refrain. Not great, but certainly an improvement from the opener. “The Flower of Life” shows the band’s metalcore leanings more prominently, and is the first indication of how good they can be, with a lively mix of accessible melodies and warped, proggy riff detours. There’s a certain restrained flashiness to the band’s playing throughout the record, notably evident in the spasmodic riff bursts of “Pinaccle”. There’s a fair amount of technical wizardry in the group, but they don’t beat you over the head with their proficiency; their songs all the better for it. The production helps to no end as well; the slick, clean mix allowing every facet of the group to shine through.
However, technical wizardry can only get you so far. Song writing chops are far more important, and I feel this is where Ghost Iris fall down. The song structures are a little messy, with a lot tracks coming off as stream of conscious style riff salads that can be difficult to follow. This is the prog influence shining through, no doubt, but even the most mind bending and bizarre compositions stand strong if there’s a sense of reason to it all. This isn’t the case for Ghost Iris. The pieces are there, with almost every song having a great idea or two (usually the accessible choruses and vocal lines), but it’s like they’ve been thrown at the wall and put together as they fell. There is also a distinct lack of variety that can be quite draining, as almost every song falls back into the camp of middling tempos, contorted riffs, syncopated chugs and the harsh/clean vocal dynamic. There are a few ingredients that spice up the odd track or two (the female vocals in “Detatched”, or the acoustic strums of the all too brief title track for example), but they’re too few and far between to have any impact overall. The beautiful chaos of “After the Sun Sets” sweeps in late in the day in an attempted salvage job, but it only serves to highlight how often the band gets it wrong on most of the other tracks on this record.
Blind World is an average record from a band that could, in all likelihood, do much better. There are glimmers of quality sprinkled thoughout the album, and there is an explosive, exuberant energy that is present for the duration. However, all things considered, it a largely mediocre affair that falls back on genre conventions far too often. Ghost Iris may well have aspirations to become a big time player in the tech metal world, but I’m not sure if Blind World will help or hinder those chances.
Rating: 5/10 – a substandard effort that does a disservice to the talents of the group.
Highlights: “The Flower of Life”, “No Way Out”, “After the Sun Sets”
Blind World is available worldwide on February 17th, via Long Branch Records.
