Album Review: Ghost Bath - Self Loather
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
The concluding part of the ‘Moonlover’ – ‘Starmourner’ – ‘Self Loather‘ triptych, Ghost Bath’s fourth full length is one of the best releases of 2021. They may be labelled depressive black metal, but the quintet from North Dakota’s latest opus is so much more.
‘Self Loather’ switches, seemingly at will, from the blisteringly fast paced riffing to dark, melancholic soundscapes with vocalist Dennis Mikula’s delivery providing everything from harrowing screams to deep, disturbing rumblings. In terms of creativity, Ghost Bath have truly excelled with their latest work.
Unsurprisingly, the vision of Mikula was always to explore the emotions of dread and hatred in this final part. Drenched with depression and sorrow it may be, but this is however, a band who may have finally reached their own sound. There are few that resonate quite like them. Dipping deep, the moving classical piano piece of ‘I Hope Death Finds Me Well’ is just one variation of style, arriving as it does completely at odds with the previous jagged and raw ‘Sinew and Vein’.
The album opens with power and ferocity. ‘Convince Me to Bleed’ is a sonic assault, belying the variation and contradictions that are to follow in the next 40 or so minutes. The sobbing female voice that leads into ‘Hide from the Sun’ is disturbing and uncomfortable, the pounding horror that resonates throughout the track unsettling. Elsewhere there is melancholy aplenty; the six-minute plus ‘Sanguine Mask’ sees Mikula reaching some of his most demonic disturbance with bowel opening gruffness.
Crafted over a period of many months during the pandemic, seclusion and isolation played its part in the album’s development. The result is fascinating, with the band delivering one of the most enchanting releases of 2021. Drawing deep on the unrest in their home country during the past 18 months, it’s the introspection and self-reflection that is strongly illuminated. ‘For It Is a Veil’ shakes the foundations with its heaviness, at odds with the slower balanced groove of ‘Unbearable’. The roots of the band are heavily encased, but there is organic growth in this album. It truly captivates from start to finish.
Adorning the cover is a stunning piece of artwork by deceased Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński. Ghost Bath produced the album with Xander Moser engineering and invited Jack Shirley (Deafheaven/Oathbreaker) to mix and master. The result is stunning and an album that should not be missed.
