ALBUM REVIEW: Hollywood Suicide – Ghøstkid
If you’re looking for a new metalcore fix this week, then look no further than the new album Hollywood Suicide by German outfit GHØSTKID. With the follow-up to their 2020 self-titled debut album, they’re back and this time they mean business.
From the get go, Hollywood Suicide cranks everything up to eleven as it delivers an all out assault on the senses. First up is the title track which sets the standard for what is to come throughout the rest of the record. Starting with some electro beats that wouldn’t feel amiss in some sort of Cyberpunk setting, the listener is thrown into the fray as the face-melting riffs take centre stage along with all other musical elements that pummel your ears – by the end of it you’ll feel like you’ve gone a few rounds in a boxing ring. And that’s only the first song on the record…
Immediately afterwards is S3X; one of the slower songs on the album, it still doesn’t hold back on the heavy side of things. However, this track does allow frontman Sebastian Biesler the opportunity to flex his ever impressive vocal range; whether it’s clean vocals or screaming, his voice matches this style of music perfectly as he explores his inner psyche throughout the song – you can almost feel his anguish when each chorus hits.
Whilst Hollywood Suicide is a great listen in its own right, the one-two punch of FSU and Heavy Rain stands head and shoulders above the rest. FSU proves to be one of the heavier tracks on the record; once it starts, there’s no slowing it down. It almost has an industrial metal feel that makes it feel close to the likes of NINE INCH NAILS when they were at their peak. It has a delightful bounce to boot and lyrics that will be rattling around your head all day making you want to play it again and again. Heavy Rain has an almost sinister feel to it that matches the themes of desperation perfectly, but when it gets to the chorus we are met with stadium-sized riffs that will shake you to your core. Once again, Biesler is on top form as we’re able to take in the more clean cut singing that holds its own alongside the wonderful screams that are on display throughout Hollywood Suicide
Throughout Hollywood Suicide, GHØSTKID never fall into the trap of every song being the same. This is inherently apparent on the completely different sounding Valerie – a slow, foreboding track that gives the listener a brief moment of respite, backed up by trap beats and slow building synth. The ominous lyrics are almost spoken and wouldn’t feel out of place on the earlier albums by MARILYN MANSON. Everything is ramped up again instantly with the pulsating Black Cloud, which is one of many mosh pit-inducing tracks that feature on the record.
As we approach the back-end of the album, tracks like Ugly and Blood work as a good pairing as we’re once again subjected to the oppressive industrial metal riffs which work perfectly with the electro aspects of the album. As Hollywood Suicide reaches its crescendo, it offers one last sonic assault; one of the latter tracks, Murder (feat. INHUMAN) is a no-holds-barred metalcore anthem. It has a slow build-up which once again optimises its use of electronica which morphs into the enormous riffs and pulsating drums we’ve become accustomed to over the last 40 minutes.
The final track Helena Drive feels very much like the epilogue of the album; the second of two slower tracks on the record, the music feels a lot lighter. It still has the hard-hitting lyrics that are prevalent throughout the listen, and it’s a good ending to a very impressive album, giving GHØSTKID one last moment to give everything they’ve got. All the musical elements that have been on display throughout this record combine perfectly for one last hurrah. With Biesler‘s vocals combined, you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that this track could have fit on something like Hybrid Theory.
Hollywood Suicide is overall an incredibly solid album; GHØSTKID set the foundations with their debut and have continued to build upon what that album brought. They could have easily faded into obscurity because of the pandemic, but thankfully they were able to fight against the odds to deliver us Hollywood Suicide. The only qualm with this album however is that sometimes the vocals sound like they could get lost among the guitars and drums so could have benefited more from being mixed a little better, but that is pretty much the only complaint on the album. Bring on the live shows where GHØSTKID will undoubtedly bring one hell of a show. Maybe bring your ear guards!
Rating: 8/10
Hollywood Suicide is set for release on March 22nd via Century Media Records.
Like GHØSTKID on Facebook.