Album Review: GHØSTKID – GHØSTKID

Eskimo Callboy are a pretty daft band, so much so that when Kerrang! interviewed the German electronicore six-piece back in September, we asked whether they were metal’s biggest trolls. Given that obvious penchant for tomfoolery, it’s a pleasant surprise, then, that GHØSTKID, the new project from ex-Eskimo Callboy man Sebastian “Sushi” Biesler, is a far more serious affair. Ditching the over-the-top electro-metalcore mash-up in favour of a modern, progressive take on metal, Sebastian’s debut LP as GHØSTKID is mightily impressive, packed to the rafters with mosh-ready riffs and Bring Me The Horizon-esque hooks.

FØØL, the album’s opening track, is a superb start to proceedings. Built around a nu-metalcore riff, it’s a vicious song that, thanks to some excellent production, sounds positively huge, borrowing the Marilyn Manson-for-emo-kids formula that has worked so well for Motionless In White. START A FIGHT is based on a similarly rollicking riff, but it’s the vocals that stand-out here, GHØSTKID’s raps, screams and clean singing playing off each other smoothly throughout.

This is an album that stands on foundations of metalcore, but Sebastian and co. still manage to demonstrate moments of versatility. The eerie execution of emotive ballad CØLD WØRLD makes for a chilling listen, whilst ZERØ’s transition from ‘80s synth-pop to chugging metal is plenty of fun. Hollywood Undead man Johnny 3 Tears, meanwhile, provides an imposing guest-spot on trap-metal closer THIS IS NØT HØLLYWØØD that rounds things off nicely.

Blending metalcore, hip-hop, trap and more but without ever sounding overly-convoluted, this record bursts with promise. Genuinely heavy and irresistibly catchy, GHØSTKID have crafted what is one of the most exciting debut albums of the year.

Verdict: 4/5

For Fans Of: Motionless In White, Bring Me The Horizon, Ice Nine Kills

GHØSTKID is released on November 13 via Century Media

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