ALBUM REVIEW: Searching For Solace – The Ghost Inside
It’s hard to imagine that we might have lost THE GHOST INSIDE at one stage. Their story of triumph over tragedy will be talked about for many years. Their comeback self-titled album was arguably their greatest release to date, so their follow-up was always going to be interesting. The band’s roots are in 00’s metalcore and hardcore but over time there has been a shift in dynamics with the focus starting to highlight the band’s ability to write massive hooks. Depending on how you feel about this move will more than likely shape your perception of Searching For Solace.
Arguably the major talking point coming into this album was the first single Wash It Away. This was a sign of the winds of change blowing in THE GHOST INSIDE camp. Many embraced the band’s reliance on melody and modern metalcore riffs but the early adopters of the band were quick to show their displeasure with the song. Before anyone writes this album off as just another generic metalcore record, they should dive in and look to understand what the band wish to convey here. You’ll soon find out there’s something for everyone to enjoy and the band have once again left every drop of blood, sweat and tears into their work.
Going Under kicks off proceedings in classic THE GHOST INSIDE style. A yell from Jonathan Vigil before a huge riff hits you hard. There are the first signs of their focus on the big choruses this time around but a colossal breakdown soon lays to waste and ideologies you had about the album direction. If you had already heard Wash It Away you’d think you’d know how this record is going to go from here. Death Grip winds your neck in with immense power and a promise of unbridled fury waged upon yourself. It’s a gym playlist hit that acts as your spotter as you make those deadlifts your bitch.
The riffs in Searching for Solace are infectious and will have you headbanging in no time. Light Years boasts one of the album’s best along with Split. The latter is one of the album’s highlights with its shout-a-long chorus and earth-shattering breakdown. Vigil pushes his vocals harder than ever. He has especially worked on his clean vocals as realised on tracks like Secret and Cityscapes (which is the closest thing the band has to a ballad on here). You can feel every ounce of pain and passion throughout every track. He can belt out a chorus just as well as anyone in the genre. Andrew Tcazyk is an absolute beast behind the kit and it’s unreal that he’s doing this all with only one leg. It makes his playing even more impressive.
Towards the back end of the album, we see the band switch to full heaviness with the triple threat of Earn It, Wrath and Reckoning. Wrath is a hulking menace while Reckoning is THE GHOST INSIDE 101 that’ll appease the hardcore fanbase. Wait till the breakdown rips you a new one. You aren’t ready. Vigil goes for the jugular with expert precision and venom.
The band are unashamedly pushing for the bigger stages, and they’ve done it better than most in the game. The lads have worked hard at perfecting their craft and you’d be hard pushed to find a band who deserves it more. Some will argue that they’re throwing themselves into the sea of modern metalcore mediocrity, but they’d be wrong.
Searching For Solace should be seen as a sidestep rather than a step back. The band have always had to capability to write arena-shaking hits and on this record, there are plenty of them. They haven’t forgotten their roots, but merely embraced this new era for the band and accepted the path they should take to breathe new life into THE GHOST INSIDE.
Rating: 8/10
Searching For Solace is out now via Epitaph Records.
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