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ALBUM REVIEW: Valediction – GosT

Music genres become saturated very quickly, in this day and age. It doesn’t take long for the vast majority of them to divide into the elite few that can hold their own and a wave of young pretenders who are merely recycling everything done already. It’s in these moments that fans can begin to turn away from a particular sound and look for something new, fresh and cutting-edge; mind you, if you’d said to the metal community even just five years ago that by the end of the decade they’d be buying into electro-beats, programmed drums and repetitive techno, they’d have probably asked you what you were smoking and to keep it away from them. Then synthwave and darkwave happened, opening a door of riches that those with a taste for the heavy flooded through.

If the world of synth were a city, where EURYTHMICS are mayor and NEW ORDER their second-in-command, synthwave and darkwave would inhabit the dingy underpasses below the bright lights and carefree vibes. It’s here we find GOST, also known by his secondary stage name of Baalberith. Widely regarded as a pioneer of the genre, he has been prolific in his output in recent years, with new album Valediction, out today, being his sixth record since his self-titled release in 2013 and following swiftly on from last year’s Possessor, which saw him experiment with blending extreme metal into his already eclectic mix of sounds and samples.

Valediction continues this explorations from the moment it opens – it’s a bit of a shock to press play for the the first time and hear Relentless Passing roar out of the speakers in a blaze of blast beats and screaming, with the more familiar strains of process noised very much in the minority. However, GOST is conscious not to alienate his audience completely, so whilst this is a statement of intent that he will continue to mix a sound more associated with WATAIN into his repertoire, for the most part this is very much in line with his usual material. One noticeable change though is the lyrical content; prior to this, GOST albums had been littered with spoken word samples about Satanism, rituals and all manner of references to the occult and the horned one, but Valediction takes on a softer, more personal approach. Indeed, She Lives in Red Light (Divine) feels like a window into GOST’s soul, a sombre venture into what makes him tick but without revealing too much detail.

For all that this sort of music can be morose and gloomy, there are still playful moments dotted around, even if they’re stooped in nihilism. Dreadfully Pious is just that sort of track, offering a bounce that retains the dark overtones thanks to GOST’s brooding, low vocals. The same holds true for Bloody Roses, which picks up the tempo significantly to a point that you can almost hear how bright the neon signs are that flash in front of your eyes, yet never gets too colourful. The Call of the Faithful (Faithless), meanwhile, is a pulsating number which will fill dancefloors at industrial nights but is sprinkled with a Europop beat that could have been crafted by Italian trio Eiffel 65. Largely though, GOST has kept his music sinister and gothic, and although the likes of Push and Severance, the last two tracks, do not quite hit the mark, the attempt to go from BILLY IDOL-esque bopping to MINISTRY and Marilyn Manson infused heaviness in the blink of eye must be commended; if it is polished quickly enough, it could be a game changer.

The word Valediction is defined as ‘the action of saying farewell’, but at no point does GOST seem like he’s going out with one last hurrah on this record, allowing the likes of PERTURBATOR and CARPENTER BRUT to lead the synthwave movement forward from here. Rather, he’s covering new ground and entering new territory to ensure he stays ahead of the game. The genre is far from being overcrowded at present, but Valediction is the sound of a man doing everything he can to ensure it never is, or at least that he doesn’t end up at the wayside, trailing in everyone else’s dust.

Rating: 8/10

Valediction is out now via Century Media Records.

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