REVIEW: Ghost Horizon – The Erotics of Disgust (EP)

Ghost Horizon are incredibly new on the post-black metal scene. The band from Phoenix, Arizona only formed back in 2015 and released their first EP, Astral Possession merely a year ago. The debut EP was in fact well received among the community and now the band are releasing their second EP, The Erotics of Disgust on April 7th.

Although they are a member down due to ‘personal differences’, Ghost Horizon didn’t take long to get back on top of things. However, when talking about The Erotics of Disgust, singer Dan Stollings claims that it was very difficult to make:  “(The EP) has been waiting in the darkness for quite a while now–it’s been completed for months. It’s been hard to let this EP into the world, because in a lot of ways, I’m sharing some pretty deep emotions that I would never talk about otherwise. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in the process of its creation, and I think that’s reflected pretty heavily in the music. The decision to do the vocals myself was also a part of this realization that in order to portray exactly what I’m thinking, I need to use my own voice. Nothing on this album is perfect. I didn’t want it to be perfect. At first I went into writing with the mentality that this will be the best produced thing I’ve ever done, but after finishing the vocals, I realized this thing needs to be raw. And so it was.”

It’s always exciting when a band outright say they want their record to be raw and not polished. There’s nothing like listening to an album from years ago that isn’t perfect and it has that distinct feel to it. It has that roughness which metal is renowned for. Old albums from across the metal genre like Megadeth’s Rust in Peace and Slipknot’s Iowa were built upon that rawness. So when a band talks about bringing that back into music in 2017, it’s exciting!

Ghost Horizon’s four-track EP opens up with Radiant Eyes. A song that builds and builds, before volcanically erupting and raining down hell on everyone that’s listening. It’s an exciting track that demonstrates the band’s dynamic approach to the genre. So Hollow follows with a melodic guitar piece that has this whispered conversation over the top which feels distorted. It works beautifully as it leads into something that is eerie and haunting. Stollings’ comments about deep emotions coming through can certainly be heard in this song. With contrasting vocal styles battling through, it feels like you’ve got an angel on one shoulder with the devil sat on the other. The title seems so fitting. The third track, This Forever Flow opens up with a slower pace again, but the crash cymbals provided by drummer “Frog” Magus cut-through to deliver a powerful beginning. Before long, the harsh vocals come back and there’s a middle section that delivers as much force and devastation as a nuclear bomb. Trust us when we say this song will blow you away. Finally, the EP ends with Whispers, featuring Tyler Allen and God damn… Is it the end or are we just beginning? It’s a real barn burner of a song and one that doesn’t hold back. It’s everything you could wish for and the fact that it ends the EP leaves you begging for more.

The Erotics of Disgust is an incredible EP that really does the genre and metal scene proud. What’s more impressive is that we haven’t even heard a full-length album from Ghost Horizon and yet they’ve already blown us away with this. If you like bands such as Deafheavan and Wolves In The Throne Room then this is a must. We cannot wait to see what the future brings for this band and if they keep it up, they’re going to be unstoppable.

Ghost Horizon’s The Erotics of Disgust is out April 7th on Tridroid Records.