ALBUM REVIEW: Ghostwriter – The Five Hundred
British metal band, THE FIVE HUNDRED, are back with their third record Ghostwriter. The quintet has stated this release to be their most ‘ambitious’ work yet with exploring themes relating to a dystopian nightmare, all the while bringing in their style of metal that seeks to push boundaries within the genre, a feat they’ve become well known for since their debut record, Bleed Red, that came out in 2018.
Going into the album, the dark gritty themes THE FIVE HUNDRED aim to explore is obvious from the start when we open with The Death Of All We Know, where the first things we hear are distorted sound effects that build up to a kick off with heavy instruments joined by electronic noises and melodic vocals that draw comparison to BAD OMENS. As an opening track, they couldn’t have chosen better with how well each verse builds up to the catchy, headbanger of a chorus, the guest vocals from SIAMESE, stunning guitar riffs, and a brutal breakdown. You’re hooked.
Even without knowing the aim in THE FIVE HUNDRED wanting to explore dystopian themes, you can still visualise endless dark, gritty environments through their sound and understand the heavy themes explored in their lyrics. For example, Bodies, which starts out relatively slow, swells in both volume and intensity with lyrics putting together a scene of anarchy in a dark, nearly abandoned city following an unknown incident. The atmosphere is amplified with the use of industrial rock and melodic compositions of violins that help to add to the theatrics of the whole scene.
And if that’s something that still doesn’t quite sell you, then how about the many heavy breakdowns that are times so gnarly you could take a bite out of them, as heard in Rainmaker featuring the guest vocals of TEN56., and during In The Dark where we here clear influence from early 00s nu-metal with names like LINKIN PARK coming to mind. Or how about bringing together sounds that contrast between heavy and gentle in a way that feels seamless, as heard in Empty Hope that brings melodic electronic pop with metalcore, industrial and nu-metal, turning into something epic that concludes nicely with a sick breakdown and screams.
Yet, there are a few moments where things have minor issues in certain songs that are then almost immediately forgiven and forgotten as they progress. For example, Dragged Out starts out sounding dark with distorted guitar and vocals when there’s a sudden switch up to a more upbeat composition that just feels, well, awkward. But that’s then quickly forgotten with the song’s breakdown and the beautiful vocals from Charlie Rolfe of AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS.
Ghostwriter is a solid rock record that creates a soundscape for a gritty dystopian world. A perfect escape from reality and into a world with an intriguing story, amplified with brutal sounds.
Rating: 7/10
Ghostwriter is out now via Prime Collective.
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