Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs (2009)

Once in a great while, a band comes along with some new colors to offer the metal spectrum, even if these colors are merely mixed shades from previous palettes. Finland's Ghost Brigade is one such band, playing in a hybrid of melodic death and groove/sludge metal with an accessible sense of goth metal melody, without ever become fully assimilated into any of its constituent genres. Isolation Songs is the band's second full-length, following up 2007's Guided by Fire.

Whilst original, and capable of some quality songcraft, there are occasional misses, like the rather empty and dull grooves of opener "Suffocated". "My Heart is a Tomb" is immediately superior, with its flowing, acoustic intro (ala later Sentenced, Amorphis) to its driving power chords and friendly clean vocal chorus. "Into the Black Light" opens with a nice groove, once again reminiscent of Amorphis, but more of a college radio Amorphis. The big hooks and tortured vocals of "Lost in a Loop" strike you like a wall collapsing over your head, this is the one of the strongest songs on the album. "Architect of New Beginnings" has an excellent, thick flow of chords and basslines under the similar, strained vocals, with a very catchy chorus. Other good tracks include "Secrets of the Earth", another of the relatively Amorphis-like folk rockers, and the powerful "A Storm Inside", from its humble, mellow beginnings to its powerful apex.

Isolation Songs has a huge sound to it reminiscent of other modern metal records with an actual budget. This works in the album's favor, the guitars and vocals are delivered powerfully where needed and it can even give modern radio pop a run for its money. There are few bands I can really compare this to, aside from the previously mentioned (and to be fair, the similarities only emerge with the way they compose some of the vocals in the folkish sections). It's a good album to check out if you enjoy the accessible Finnish goth metal scene, or the simpler Amorphis albums where they were recording more of a rock sound. This is one of the more original records you will likely hear this summer.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.ghostbrigade.net/