vote
7.5
- Bands:
PØLTERGEIST(CAN) - Duration: 00:40:00
- Available from: 10/25/2024
- Label:
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Bad Omen Records
Streaming not yet available
There are – or have existed – at least ten bands called Poltergeist, none of which have had a long life or particular recording success, but Canadian Pøltergeist seem destined to break this curse.
“Nachtmusik” is in fact the first work of this young project by Kalen Baker, mind, voice and guitar; the current line-up features Jacob Ponton on guitar, Ben Wytham on bass, and Amy Moore on drums, although this album features the studio contribution of Al Lester (Spell) behind the drums.
Both Baker and Wytham come from the world of heavy metal, in fact they both play in Whyte Diamond, a formation born in accordance with the NWOBHM lesson of Angel Witch, Witchfinder General and dark company.
And obviously we are also talking about darkness here too, but expressed according to different styles: the mastermind Baker talks about post-punk, mixed with traditional metal, plus a splash of shoegaze (old fashioned, we add).
The album, which follows the EPs “Yesterday Fades” of 2020 and “Hallucinations In The Catacombs” of the following year, develops the coordinates already outlined in these works, revealing a nocturnal and elegant sound, yet also capable of scratching, and which sees their roots well anchored in the dark, in death rock and in everything that gravitated around those worlds in the 80s (because in the end, like it or not, we always return there).
The interesting characteristic of these guys is precisely the ease with which they mix The Cure and Satan, Echo & The Bunnymen and Iron Maiden, as is for example the case with the excellent “Yesterday Fades” and “Will We Ever Live Again”, in such as the hypnotic and dance-like structure and strengthened by the heaviness of heavy metal guitars.
Elsewhere it is the gothic component (in any case predominant) that dominates, with particularly appreciable results in the punkish “Swallowed By The Ocean”, which smells of TSOL, or in the single-manifesto “Children Of The Dark”, which brings to mind The Sisters Of Mercy with a touch of metal; we mention “Ethereal Nightmare” again, a piece that grows in intensity until an energetic and hypnotic finale.
The stylistic and cultural references are many and also quite evident, but Calgary's Pøltergeist do a good job on a compositional level, writing beautiful pieces and giving life to a fascinating combination, although certainly already investigated, usually always starting from a solid base metal, to get to the dark, and not vice versa (think for example of In Solitude and Tribulation). Here instead it's a bit as if Horror Vacui inserted classic heavy style solos and a certain metal heaviness.
Another appreciable trait concerns the references to the soundtracks, which are not lacking at all: the title track itself is an instrumental that screams b-movie for its entire two minute duration, but the hint of teen horror – strictly from the eighties era – can be heard a bit throughout the album.
Of course, as we said, this is first and foremost a tribute to the dark rock of the golden (or rather purple) years, starting from the iconography, but it does its job well, and perhaps thanks to the fact that those behind the project 'born' in another musical context, and brings something from there; The production is also perfect, avoiding the glossy sounds of more famous names.
Overall a very enjoyable album, and a name to keep an eye on.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM