Ghost Brigade: Until Fear No Longer Defines Us – new album

Visit unexplored territories and allow yourselves to be taken “into a world of deep longing and sweet sorrow” with GHOST BRIGADE by streaming their new album ‘Until The Fear No Longer Defines Us’ at this location (Inferno Magazine). Finns' latest blend of post-rock, metalcore, progressive rock, death & doom metal, recorded at Helsinki's Seawolf Studios with producer Antti Malinen, is being released today, August 19th, 2011 in Europe, and awaits its U.S. release come August 23rd, 2011, due to Season Of Mist Records. Buy the album here (Season Of Mist) and download yourselves a free MP3 (‘Clawmaster’) here or here.

GHOST BRIGADE was formed in 2005 in Jyväskylä, Finland. French label Season Of Mist signed the band (which was “determined to go beyond musical limitations, be it pop or metal or anything in between”) on the strength of just one 4-track demo, released in 2006:

“We try not to over-analyze things,” [explains the band] “When we compose a song, we just kind of go with the flow and see what comes out of it. We know in our hearts if it’s a GHOST BRIGADE song or not. It really is as simple as that. If we get goose bumps from it, then it’s good. And even if we have always tried to avoid locking ourselves in a genre and are incessantly searching for new ways to express ourselves, at the same time, when we make music together it always seems to come out as something dark, oppressive, melodic, dynamic and heavy. Those are adjectives we couldn’t escape even if we wanted to. So there’s definitely a common thread in there that ties all of our songs.”

The band journeyed to the tiny island just outside Helsinki where the appropriately named Seawolf Studio is located for the first time in 2007, to record their debut full-length ‘Guided By Fire’:

“Even though Ikonen's [Manne] extreme vocals add a lot of heaviness and intensity to this album, ‘Guided Bt Fire’ consistently thrives on melodies - dark, gloomy, brooding melodies. Melody is not an afterthought on [this album]; it is a vital, essential part of what GHOST BRIGADE do on their very listenable and respectable debut,” [commented Alex Henderson, AllMusic Guide]

Keyboard player Aleksi Munter (SWALLOW THE SUN, INSOMNIUM) was added to the band's line-up on the heavier and gloomier release that followed, 2009's ‘Isolation Songs’: “Delve down deep into these ‘Isolation Songs’, rejoice and weep,” recommended the press release; and they delved and many rejoiced and some wept, and Metal Hammer Germany awarded the album with “Album Of The Month” title.

Follow-up: GHOST BRIGADE and Season Of Mist Records have (rightly) chosen French artist and musician Fursy Teyssier (LES DISCRETS) for the creation of the ‘Clawmaster’ video released in September 2011. Most respected fellow-blogger's, Angry Metal Guy (who is currently undergoing blogger-identity crises), most trusted contributor, Steel Druhm, reviewed the album most favorably and finished the review off with an advice for his, I suppose, fellow-Scandinavians:

“While GHOST BRIGADE was always solid, they stepped up their game considerably here. If you long for an album with a “dead puppy under the Christmas tree” vibe,  this is it. This thing is glum until the cows come home (to die) but is still mighty catchy, highly enjoyable and quite rockin. Well done guys, now try to smile a little. Yes, I know you’re from Finland, but try!”

GHOST BRIGADE features: Manne Ikonen – vocals, Tommi Kiviniemi – guitar, Wille Naukkarinen – guitar, Veli-Matti Suihkonen – drums and Janne Julin - bass

GHOST BRIGADE: Clawmaster – courtesy of Season of Mist