If Progressive Rock is a dirty word in your world then forget everything you know and take a listen to Ghost In Mirrors.
Expansive and dreamlike in a Sigur Ros kind of way – this music has an ebb and flow that is hypnotic and intoxicating.
Beautiful music that sounds like it's coming from another world
Friday 11 September 2009
Ryder's Dismount review By Adam Richardson, Tuesday 8th September 2009
No-one could accuse anglo-french prog metallers Ghost in Mirrors of a lack of ambition on their self-released debut – there’s only one track under five minutes long and a couple well over seven. Daunting as such sprawling songs are, Ryder’s Dismount never threatens to try the patience.
The opening title track is an intense affair, with a sound that builds all the way, occasionally breaking into something approaching all-out thrash while vocalist French broods on mesmerizingly. “Deadbird”, which follows, is a much more full-on brand of metal with its moshalong chorus and obligatory face-melting shred solo. Undoubtedly the album’s best cut, “Across the Seas and Oceans” is art metal done very well with beautifully unhinged vocals that convulse over a stark arrangement that lurches slowly, irresistibly, into a thumper of a chorus. In this track the band seem to have successfully captured in audio the suspense and foreboding of a vintage horror movie. In length, closing track “Sterilised” is Ryder’s... slightest offering by some way, but brings the album to a satisfying denouement via its contrastingly accessible and upbeat sound and yet more stellar vocal work.
For a debut release, Ryder’s Dismount is an incredibly accomplished work, showing a rare ambition matched with evident songwriting talent. Ghost in Mirrors are a well-kept secret, and it’s a secret that needs telling.
http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/8521/Ghost+in+Morrors
The opening title track is an intense affair, with a sound that builds all the way, occasionally breaking into something approaching all-out thrash while vocalist French broods on mesmerizingly. “Deadbird”, which follows, is a much more full-on brand of metal with its moshalong chorus and obligatory face-melting shred solo. Undoubtedly the album’s best cut, “Across the Seas and Oceans” is art metal done very well with beautifully unhinged vocals that convulse over a stark arrangement that lurches slowly, irresistibly, into a thumper of a chorus. In this track the band seem to have successfully captured in audio the suspense and foreboding of a vintage horror movie. In length, closing track “Sterilised” is Ryder’s... slightest offering by some way, but brings the album to a satisfying denouement via its contrastingly accessible and upbeat sound and yet more stellar vocal work.
For a debut release, Ryder’s Dismount is an incredibly accomplished work, showing a rare ambition matched with evident songwriting talent. Ghost in Mirrors are a well-kept secret, and it’s a secret that needs telling.
http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/8521/Ghost+in+Morrors
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Top Of The Progs - The Courier Newspaper- 14/08/09 by Caroline Read
Tonbridge band Ghost In Mirrors set to play Local & Live in Tunbridge Wells
Friday, August 14, 2009, 12:00
Ghost In Mirrors
With this year's Local & Live festival looming nearer, organiser Paul Dunton has assembled a full line-up for each of the local music festival's three and a half days.
As ever, the bandstand on the Pantiles will be transformed into a music stage and a total of 50 local acts will perform across the August bank holiday weekend.
One of the bands set to play on the final day is Tonbridge-based Ghost In Mirrors.
An ambitious and media savvy four-piece who only formed last year, Ghost In Mirrors describe themselves as a prog rock band. It's an unusual choice of style for a young local band but the experimental sounds mix perfectly with the band's French singer's soaring vocals.
Led by France Amann with Tim Hall on drums, Luke Booth on bass and Phill Short providing lead guitar, the band also experiment with other instruments including glockenspiel and tambourine.
Having recently released their six-track studio album, Ryder's Dismount, and with a monthly residency at The Forum, it's an exciting time for the band. In June they were even chosen to play a 30-minute set on the main stage at Kent music festival Lounge On The Farm, which took place in July near Canterbury.
With influences including Kate Bush, Tool and Jeff Buckley as well as prog staples like Rush and Yes, their tastes are rather eclectic.
Go! caught up with them last week.
How did you get together?
Luke: "We formed the band at college (they studied music performance at West Kent College) as we were the only students who didn't want to follow the trend of the latest or most fashionable artist/band out there. We wanted to play and write the music we liked and not just what was popular."
You've described your music as prog rock – can you explain what that means and why you chose it as your sound?
France: "I suppose there is an eternal debate about what is prog and what isn't and if you are labelled as prog, does it actually tarnish the band?
"Radiohead for example refused to be called prog when actually they are but that was back in the early '90s, things have changed now. Maybe our stuff is more alternative, but we do have elements of prog, just by the fact that we are not interested in following the rules of what makes a 'hit' which gives us more freedom but as a result.
"Our songs are rarely less than seven minutes long and include long instrumental sections or epic solos, in that aspect I think it is prog. But modern prog has changed, compared to Rush, Yes and all of these… we don't sing about wizards and swords, fairies and middle earth anymore. And that's probably a good thing!"
France, you write the lyrics yourself. Can you tell us what inspires you?
"I suppose my life experiences. I left home when I was just 18 to live on the other side of France for two years, then I came to England in 2003 to study. Like many other people I went through ups and downs but I really struggled to tell people how I felt, so writing lyrics is my way to tell them."
Where did the name come from?
France: "I've always been fascinated and scared at the same time by ghosts. We all did that Ouija board game as kids, didn't we! But yeah, me, my brother and my cousin did it, and I swear the glass moved!
"I remember the feeling of being so excited but so scared and yes, in the attic we were in we had two mirrors, and I thought, 'what if I could see it?'. I never did though."
You played at Lounge On The Farm this year. What was it like?
France: "We were on stage on the Friday afternoon, it was sunny and the stage massive – with props, smoke machines, lasers, two on-stage engineers, two sound engineers, a stage director and all that!
"The crowd was very small before we started, but gradually during our set, their gathered up. It was a great satisfaction to see a decent crowd toward the end, because they had all the reasons in the world to go and see all the other stuff happening in the festival, but decided to stay and watch us!"
Is Go! right in thinking that you play each month at The Forum?
France: "Yes we host a night once a month called T.Wells LiveCall where we get local bands to come and join us for the night. Usually they are friends, but sometimes they are people looking for gigs locally who contacted us through myspace.
"The aim of it is to provide a platform for good local bands to play and the small profits go to a charity I support called Launatho. I have been twice to Africa this year and last year to bring medical supplies to local communities near Dakar in Senegal.
"The Forum is a great place, the guys who work there are very helpful, relaxed and good to work with."
Have you played Local & Live before and are you looking forward to it?
France: "Yes, I am really looking forward to it. I saw my boyfriend at the time play there two years in a row and I remember telling myself that when I had a band, I'd play there.
"As our band is quite heavy, I asked Paul Dunton if we could play at the Grey Lady one evening if we were doing acoustic versions of our tracks. We had to audition and he said yes. We hoped he'd ask us to play Local & Live after that and he did.
"I really like doing our songs acoustic, because people enjoy the melodic aspect more, as well as hearing the voices clearer."
By Caroline Read
August 31 at 9.10pm Free event Visit www.localandlive.org and see next week's Go! for more information The band are also playing on August 29 at LiveCall Festival at the Sussex Arms in Tunbridge Wells Visit them at http://www.ghostinmirrors.com/
link:
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/music/Tonbridge-band-Ghost-Mirrors-set-play-Local-Live-Tunbridge-Wells/article-1242846-detail/article.html
Friday, August 14, 2009, 12:00
Ghost In Mirrors
With this year's Local & Live festival looming nearer, organiser Paul Dunton has assembled a full line-up for each of the local music festival's three and a half days.
As ever, the bandstand on the Pantiles will be transformed into a music stage and a total of 50 local acts will perform across the August bank holiday weekend.
One of the bands set to play on the final day is Tonbridge-based Ghost In Mirrors.
An ambitious and media savvy four-piece who only formed last year, Ghost In Mirrors describe themselves as a prog rock band. It's an unusual choice of style for a young local band but the experimental sounds mix perfectly with the band's French singer's soaring vocals.
Led by France Amann with Tim Hall on drums, Luke Booth on bass and Phill Short providing lead guitar, the band also experiment with other instruments including glockenspiel and tambourine.
Having recently released their six-track studio album, Ryder's Dismount, and with a monthly residency at The Forum, it's an exciting time for the band. In June they were even chosen to play a 30-minute set on the main stage at Kent music festival Lounge On The Farm, which took place in July near Canterbury.
With influences including Kate Bush, Tool and Jeff Buckley as well as prog staples like Rush and Yes, their tastes are rather eclectic.
Go! caught up with them last week.
How did you get together?
Luke: "We formed the band at college (they studied music performance at West Kent College) as we were the only students who didn't want to follow the trend of the latest or most fashionable artist/band out there. We wanted to play and write the music we liked and not just what was popular."
You've described your music as prog rock – can you explain what that means and why you chose it as your sound?
France: "I suppose there is an eternal debate about what is prog and what isn't and if you are labelled as prog, does it actually tarnish the band?
"Radiohead for example refused to be called prog when actually they are but that was back in the early '90s, things have changed now. Maybe our stuff is more alternative, but we do have elements of prog, just by the fact that we are not interested in following the rules of what makes a 'hit' which gives us more freedom but as a result.
"Our songs are rarely less than seven minutes long and include long instrumental sections or epic solos, in that aspect I think it is prog. But modern prog has changed, compared to Rush, Yes and all of these… we don't sing about wizards and swords, fairies and middle earth anymore. And that's probably a good thing!"
France, you write the lyrics yourself. Can you tell us what inspires you?
"I suppose my life experiences. I left home when I was just 18 to live on the other side of France for two years, then I came to England in 2003 to study. Like many other people I went through ups and downs but I really struggled to tell people how I felt, so writing lyrics is my way to tell them."
Where did the name come from?
France: "I've always been fascinated and scared at the same time by ghosts. We all did that Ouija board game as kids, didn't we! But yeah, me, my brother and my cousin did it, and I swear the glass moved!
"I remember the feeling of being so excited but so scared and yes, in the attic we were in we had two mirrors, and I thought, 'what if I could see it?'. I never did though."
You played at Lounge On The Farm this year. What was it like?
France: "We were on stage on the Friday afternoon, it was sunny and the stage massive – with props, smoke machines, lasers, two on-stage engineers, two sound engineers, a stage director and all that!
"The crowd was very small before we started, but gradually during our set, their gathered up. It was a great satisfaction to see a decent crowd toward the end, because they had all the reasons in the world to go and see all the other stuff happening in the festival, but decided to stay and watch us!"
Is Go! right in thinking that you play each month at The Forum?
France: "Yes we host a night once a month called T.Wells LiveCall where we get local bands to come and join us for the night. Usually they are friends, but sometimes they are people looking for gigs locally who contacted us through myspace.
"The aim of it is to provide a platform for good local bands to play and the small profits go to a charity I support called Launatho. I have been twice to Africa this year and last year to bring medical supplies to local communities near Dakar in Senegal.
"The Forum is a great place, the guys who work there are very helpful, relaxed and good to work with."
Have you played Local & Live before and are you looking forward to it?
France: "Yes, I am really looking forward to it. I saw my boyfriend at the time play there two years in a row and I remember telling myself that when I had a band, I'd play there.
"As our band is quite heavy, I asked Paul Dunton if we could play at the Grey Lady one evening if we were doing acoustic versions of our tracks. We had to audition and he said yes. We hoped he'd ask us to play Local & Live after that and he did.
"I really like doing our songs acoustic, because people enjoy the melodic aspect more, as well as hearing the voices clearer."
By Caroline Read
August 31 at 9.10pm Free event Visit www.localandlive.org and see next week's Go! for more information The band are also playing on August 29 at LiveCall Festival at the Sussex Arms in Tunbridge Wells Visit them at http://www.ghostinmirrors.com/
link:
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/music/Tonbridge-band-Ghost-Mirrors-set-play-Local-Live-Tunbridge-Wells/article-1242846-detail/article.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
