New Ghost Brigade album confirmed

Season of Mist have announced that the new Ghost Brigade album "Until fear no longer defines us" will be released on August 19.

Ghost Brigade/Insomnium to tour Europe in May

Finnish metal acts Ghost Brigade and Insomnium will be touring Europe together in May:

05/20 - Markthalle, Hamburg (GER)
05/21 - Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig (GER) (GB only)
05/22 - Haus-11, Stuttgart (GER)
05/23 - Feierwerk, München (GER)
05/24 - Rockhouse, Salzburg (AUS)
05/25 - Kiff, Aarau (CH)
05/26 - Bibelot, Dordrecht (NL)
05/27 - Trix, Antwerpen (BEL)
05/28 - Dynamo, Eindhoven (NL)
05/29 - Matrix, Bochum (GER)

Decibel reviews the new Ghost Brigade

Decibel likes the new Ghost Brigade album "Isolation songs": http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=333959
What I like best about that band is that they can actually write a damn song, unlike many of their contemporaries who simply string riffs together.

Ghost Brigade announce new album

Finnish melancholic doom act Ghost Brigade has confirmed that their sophomore album "Isolation songs" will be released on August 3 in Europe via Season of Mist. It will also be released in the US, but not until August 25.

Ghost Brigade in Germany

Finnish act Ghost Brigade will do a couple shows in Germany this coming August:

08/12 - Bastard Club, Osnabrück
08/13 - Wild At Heart, Berlin

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Peter Morén - This is what I came for
02. TALK 1
03. Entombed - Hollowman
04. King Of All The Animals - Concrete skyline
05. Jettie - The lay up
06. TALK 2
07. Happy Trash Culture - Frisky pet
08. Josse - You had a plan
09. Ondo - Sleep
10. TALK 3
11. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - This room seems empty without you
12. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss
13. Marvins Revolt - Deliberate deeds
14. Marybell Katastrophy - Hey Frank
15. TALK 4
16. The Bear Quartet - Mvh contempt
17. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Snacka gär ju
18. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
19. TALK 5
20. September Malevolence - I shut doors and windows
21. The End Will Be Kicks - Ass of a friend
22. Anna Leong - Battered, bruised and cold
23. TALK 6
24. Bright Oak - On the list
25. Tape - Moth wings
26. Axewitch - Hot lady
27. TALK 7
28. Nationalteatern - Jack the Ripper
29. Tsukimono - Heart beater
30. Zeigeist - Bunny
31. TALK 8
32. First Floor Power - The jacket (Karin Dreijer remix)
33. No Hope for the Kids - Angels of destruction
34. Docenterna - Popmusik
35. Vapnet - Skorpan
36. TALK 9
37. Björn Kleinhenz - Olis
38. Fireside - Ambulance
39. Looptroop Rockers - Living on a prayer
40. TALK 10

Finnish act Ghost Brigade is doing a few European dates on the way to Hellfest:

06/18 - U Bazyla, Poznan (POL) w/Týr
06/19 - Wild At Heart, Berlin (GER)
06/22 - Hellfest, Clisson (FRA)
06/23 - Underground, Köln (GER)

Metal Team UK talks to Ghost Brigade: http://www.metalteamuk.net/interview-ghostbrigade.htm

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Boys of Scandinavia - Beautiful as a person
02. TALK 1
03. Don't Be A Stranger - Perfect problem
04. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
05. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
06. TALK 2
07. Deathbed - When hope leaves a body
08. Closer - Sensing the wake
09. TALK 3
10. The Tarantula Waltz - Two arrows
11. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
12. Anna Järvinen - Götgatan
13. TALK 4
14. Eric Malmberg - Slutet på en epok
15. Mustasch - Bring me everyone
16. September - Until I die
17. TALK 5
18. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
19. Frode Haltli - The latter
20. Lykke Li - Little bit
21. TALK 6
22. Downstairs - Peephole city
23. The Cardigans - Don't blame your daughter (Diamonds)
24. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
25. TST - We are the kids
26. TALK 7
27. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
28. Mikko Singh - Palmun juurella
29. Audionom - Dc2
30. TALK 8
31. Ulver - Solitude
32. The Psyke Project - I get paralyzed
33. Silverbullit - Winter coat
34. TALK 9
35. Bodies Without Organs (BWO) - Let it rain
36. Icos - On my own
37. Torpedo - Hang me high
38. TALK 10
39. Graveyard - Satan's finest

FYI, in case you missed my announcement: next week will be a spooky Halloween-themed program.

MP3: Ghost Brigade - Horns

I was a little late to the game with Ghost Brigade's original 4-track demo, but once I finally got into it, I was stoked. Naturally, anticipation was high for the debut full-length "Guided by fire" which came out last month and I eagerly snatched up a copy as soon as I could. On the downside, and I'm not sure this is just familiarity speaking, the re-recorded demo tracks are definitely the early standouts. That's no terrible crime, but I was really hoping for something a bit more surprising. On the other hand, the rest of the record is plenty satisfying. The general formula remains the same: heavy, melancholic doom rock made more powerful by a killer lock-step rhythm section. Comparisons to Katatonia are inevitable, but I find that Ghost Brigade has a far rougher edge due to the use of gruff vocals and more mosh-heavy riffs. Ghost Brigade is also way more rawk. Unfortunately, that also means I can hear a stronger grunge influence lurking beneath the surface. Many of the clean vocals come awfully close to the yeee-ah croon of Eddie Vedder. It doesn't ruin the record, but it does make me cringe sometimes. When said clean vocals work though, they work quite well such as on the track I've posted today. The way the harmonies on the chorus trail off into dissonance is awesome. It's a great counterpoint to the thrashy verse riff and creates a welcome dynamic shift. The sung vocals at the end are nice as well - there's still a slight Alice in Chains/Stone Temple Pilots vibe in his timbre, but it's offset by the evil lyrics ("This time your god won't help you!"). I definitely prefer the darker, heavier stuff overall, but I respect that they're trying to develop a more original sound, a niche I think fans of both older (pre-clean vox) and newer (post-clean) Katatonia can appreciate.

Ghost Brigade - Horns

Lords of Metal interview Finnish act Ghost Brigade: http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showinterview.php?id=1887&lang=nl
I loved this band's original 4-song demo, but I think I'm about 60/40 on the debut album. It's good, but some of the material has a weird grungerock vibe that I can't get down with.

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
03. Moder Jords Massiva - Vapen
04. Kornstad Trio - Intornette
05. TALK 2
06. Ghost Brigade - Autoemotive
07. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
08. September - My neighbourhood
09. TALK 3
10. Ebba Grön - 800°
11. Torpedo - My evil twin
12. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
13. TALK 4
14. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
15. Pimentola - Death is a secret
16. Nils Berg - Sailors fighting in the dance hall
17. TALK 5
18. Lampshade - By and by I come
19. Midnight Choir - Will you carry me across the water
20. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
21. TALK 6
22. Candlemass - Elephant star
23. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Under a black sun
24. Cortex - Warrior night (live)
25. TALK 7
26. The Grizzly Twister - This city is a halo
27. New Decade - I guess you ran from something
28. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
29. TALK 8
30. The Bear Quartet - I'm still her
31. Paper - My life is going under
32. Darkthrone - Wisdom of the dead
33. Detektivbyrån - Nattöppet
34. TALK 9
35. Mob - Ghost track
36. Fare You Well - Deceiving eyes
37. TALK 10

Ghost Brigade's new website is now open: http://www.ghostbrigade.net/

Finnish act Ghost Brigade has confirmed their debut full-length "Guided by fire" for release on September 17 in Europe, September 25 in North America. I thought their demo was killer, so I'm really looking forward to hearing this.

Friday's Sirius Blog Radio playlist:

01. The Alpine - Mondays look the same
02. TALK 1
03. Gravy - Back with the nerds
04. Giant Robot - Best match
05. Jomi Massage - A detail
06. TALK 2
07. Broder Daniel - Shoreline
08. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. Britta Persson - Oh how wrong
11. TALK 3
12. Lemonator - Would you die for me?
13. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Short ends
14. Billie the Vision and the Dancers - Overdosing with you
15. TALK 4
16. Folie - Rocin
17. Robyn - Handle me
18. Laakso - Norrköping
19. TALK 5
20. Magnet - I walk the line
21. Isolation Years - Albino child
22. KVLR - Construction work
23. TALK 6
24. Anna Leong - 61
25. Tigerbombs - One giant leap
26. Motorpsycho - Hyena
27. TALK 7
28. Oskar Schönning - Other birds
29. Pan Sonic - Rähinä II / Mayhem II
30. Mercyful Fate - Evil
31. TALK 8
32. Ricochets - Come around over
33. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
34. Smalltown - The music
35. Popface - In the night
36. TALK 9
37. Circle Six - 1