Ghastly Sound were formed by bassist TJ Maynard and drummer Ryan Lewis, two childhood friends whose vision of heaviness and groove did not include in its equation the addition of a gurning, headlight hogging six stringer. These bass fronted grooves backed up with pulverising percussion needed something though and so entered vocalist Tyler Gurwicz, his blend of classic rock and stoner/sludge tones combining with Maynard and Lewis' thunderous rhythms to create an overall sound the trio like to call "unforgiving", a sound they explore to great lengths on their debut EP "Ghastly Sound" (Magnetic Eye Records)
"Ghastly Sound" is an EP exploding with feral power, assaulting the senses with waves upon waves of distorted riffage and rhythm around which powerfully emotive vocals are screamed, growled and roared and more importantly sang!. Frontman Gurwicz mixes up extreme vocal stylings with perfectly clean and powerful classic rock tones, at times coming across like a demonically possessed madman and at others like a shape throwing rock god delivering tones that would not sound out of place on a best of 70's rock album.
The lack of a "traditional" guitarist, although slightly unusual, is never an issue throughout "Ghastly Sound"s four song span, in fact such is Maynard's prowess with his instrument that the listener hardly notices the absence of any six-string colouring. Maynard uses his instrument not so much as a lead instrument but as a means to inform and direct the musical ebb and flow of the tumultuous heavy grooves he and Lewis lay beneath Gurwicz's vocal outpourings, combining with the drummers tsunami of groundshaking percussion to create a sonic palette that has no space (or need) for further instrumentation.
Check 'em out .....
great review, ticks all the boxes, good stuff.thanks.
ReplyDelete