INTRODUCING: Ghøstkid
The term ‘creative differences’ is so often used when people leave bands that it leaves you wondering how many are genuinely down to this and how many are used to cover up darker truths. However, in the case of Sebastien ‘Sushi’ Biesler, formerly of ESKIMO CALLBOY, it was exactly this.
“I had to do something because I was totally unhappy; I couldn’t identify with the music anymore,” he explains via Skype from Germany. “I really felt uncomfortable and that causes trouble, because you’re not giving 100% when you feel uncomfortable and I thought it would be the best thing to leave. If you create a record and you’re not proud of it, and you don’t feel it when it’s released, you know there is definitely something going wrong and that’s what helped me make my decision.”
Sushi’s departure was announced in February this year and whilst his former outfit would go on to fill virtual dancefloors the world over with the insanely catchy Hypa Hypa, he would embark on his own project GHØSTKID, something much more serious. “When I started writing those songs, I re-discovered something that I really missed for a long time, you know, so I said to myself ‘Okay, let’s go back to the roots. Let’s do this with mindset that caused me to write music in the first place.”
Sushi is keen to point out that, while GHØSTKID has a full band element (the lineup completed by guitarist Danny Güldener, bassist Stanislaw Czywil and drummer Steve Joakim), it is very much a solo project and he takes all the decisions. “All of those guys have been good friends of mine for years and I picked them people because I knew they would understand what I wanted to do – that was very important, that they got the vision – and because you’re doing some emotional stuff of course you need people who can bring about a cool vibe, and these guys really do it.”
What this has led to is GHØSTKID’s eponymous debut album via Century Media, a dark and twisted trip through the halls of cutting-edge metal that infuses the electronica of BRING ME THE HORIZON with the abrasion of FEVER 333 and the sinister foundations that MARILYN MANSON has pioneered for nearly thirty years. Sushi is very open about his love for all three. “What I really love about BRING ME THE HORIZON is they are always state-of-the-art; it feels like with every song they put out they reinvent themselves. I listen to a new track by them and I’ve never heard something like that before. With FEVER I’m really impressed by their raw aggression and when you see those guys performing live, it’s the best because they’re just three crazy dudes that fit so well together. I wanted to have that vibe as well, you know, that dirty, punk rock sound. As for MANSON, he’s a big influence anytime! because yeah, I really love the work he’s doing in general but I’ve been a big fan for years.”
Another factor that makes the record so impactful is that there was no fat to be trimmed during the writing process; what was penned and composed went on the album in a show of quality over quantity “I love each track on the album, to be honest. Sometimes when you play in a band, you write 20 songs and throw 10 away; I’ve not thrown away one single track because I really focused on every track to make it as good as possible.”
The record also features a few big-hitting guests, from HEAVEN SHALL BURN frontman Marcus Bischoff on Supernøva to HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD’s Johnny 3 Tears appearing on one of two versions of This Is Nøt Høllywøød. An unusual move, why did Sushi decide on two variants of the same song? “The message is really strong and really important for me, you know, so I hit up my guy Timi Hendrix, who is really big here in Germany when it comes to rap for one version and when I kept on listening to it, I decided I wanted to spread the message a bit more internationally so I called Timi and asked if I could a second version of that track, and he said ‘Why are you even asking me, it’s your song!’ so I hit up Johnny and he was down for it too. It was really important for me that both artists told their own story as well, so that’s why there are videos exclusive to each version as well.”
If you enjoy what ESKIMO CALLBOY do but have always pined for them to tap into something with more substance and harder-hitting lyrics, then GHØSTKID is going to fill that void nicely. Raw, intense and hard-hitting, they’re shining bright from within the annals of darkness.
Ghøstkid is out now via Century Media Records.
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