Album Review: Ghost Town - 'Calamities'

5 April 2010 | 12:13 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Proof that the Gold Coast has more to offer than just theme parks.

Gold Coast’s Ghost Town have been working hard the last few years creating their brand of metallic hardcore, and after a few delays, the band has unleashed their debut album “Calamities”. With a sound that can be compared to the likes of Rise And Fall, Trap Them and even at times Converge, Ghost Town have managed to capture the intensity and energy of the aforementioned bands, while still managing to keep their sound unique.

The album’s opening track “Into The Night” creates a huge amount of intensity leading into the album’s first proper song, the album’s title track “Calamities”. The song highlights the band’s heavy guitar sound and vocalist Sam Saljooghi’s fierce, raw vocals. “Towers” doesn’t muck around at all, kicking straight into the song and features a guitar riff that is reminiscent of the likes of Converge. The guitar sound is so dark and heavy, and it sounds perfect for the sound the band is aiming for. The following tracks “Awakening” and “Across The Desert” are another two fine examples of the heavy tunes the band are turning out. It is obvious how much the band has stepped up since the release of their EP.

Next up is “Floods” which is one of the stand out tracks of the album. The breakdown towards the end of the song is crushing, before launching back into the songs main riff. “Grove Of Darkness” is one of the heaviest tracks on the album, and Saljooghi’s vocals sound incredible. The instrumental track “Ethereal” manages to keep your attention and remain interesting throughout the three-minute track, something that instrumental tracks often fail to do. The track leads into “The Storm”, and don’t let the song name fool you, the track is one of the more laid back, melodic tracks on the album, focusing on chord progressions rather than the punishing riffs featured in the album’s previous songs.

The following track “Gray Matter” is one of the more frantic tracks on the album, making it one of the more memorable tracks. The song highlights the band’s songwriting at it’s finest. The album’s closing track “The Abyss” clocks in at just over six and a half minutes, yet still remains to be interesting throughout the entire song. The song ends the album perfectly, showcasing the band’s ability to craft a great song.

The production on this record sounds brilliant. Recorded by the band’s vocalist Sam Saljooghi in his own studio set up, and mixed by Jay Maas and mastered by Alan Douches, the band has gone for a quality sound, and it definitely pays off.

“Calamities” is good enough to not just get the band noticed on a national scale, but internationally as well. Big things are sure to be on the horizon for Ghost Town if they continue heading down this path.

1. Into The Night

2. Calamities

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3. Towers

4. Awakening

5. Across The Desert

6. Floods

7. Grove Of Darkness

8. Ethereal

9. The Storm

10. Gray Matter

11. The Abyss