Ghost Spawn's second release, 'The Haunting Continuum,' contains six tracks, just under 44 minutes, of blackened death/doom with hints of old school progressive death metal.
Wailing guitars solos drowning in cavernous reverb, riffs drudgingly slow and chaotically fast, and growling, barking vocals are what you'll find in each song.
This collection of music was born and nourished as I struggled to escape from a horrific past. It has helped me find strength to overcome the haunting memories that initiated this project.
"Brutal, gurgling doom-of-death pervades The Haunting Continuum from Denver one-man-unit Ghost Spawn, and while the guitar late in “Escaping the Mortal Flesh” seems momentarily to offer some hope of salvation, rest assured, it doesn’t last, and the squibbly central riff returns with its extremity to prove once more that only death is real. Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Kevin Berstler is the lone culprit behind the project’s first full-length and second release overall (also second this year, so he would seem to work quickly), and across 43 minutes that only grow more grueling as they proceed through the centerpiece title-track and into “The Terrors that Plague Nightly” and the desolate incantations of “Exiled to the Realm of Eternal Rot,” there are some hints of cleaner grunts that have made their way through — a kind of repeated “hup” vocalization — but this too is swallowed in the miasma of cave-echo guitar, drums-from-out-of-the-abyss, and raw-as-peeled-flesh production. Can’t get behind that? Probably you and 99.9 percent of the rest of humanity. For us slugs, though, it’s just about right." - JJ Koczan, The Obelisk
"The guitars and bass are balanced to perfection, with all three tracks being essential to the sound. The fervor and precision with which the drums are played is impressive and keeps things moving at a professional clip without sounding too tight. All in all a fantastic hidden gem, and a serious example of how that black metal atmosphere can still permeate across its cousin genres. And even if you don't hear the BM connection, this is just solid, crunchy, old school death metal finding new life in the digital age, and I for one couldn't be more excited to see that happening." - IrishDeathgrip, Metal Archives
credits
released March 10, 2020
Everything: Kevin Berstler
Disperazione by Giotto (1306)
supported by 7 fans who also own “The Haunting Continuum”
I love the combination of the late 80s deathgrind sound with Incantation style cavernous death metal. These guys have a good understanding of speed dynamics too; when the tempo drops the grooves hit hard. Also the aesthetic is super cool. grahamy
supported by 7 fans who also own “The Haunting Continuum”
Are we still saying, "This shit slaps."? If so, then this.
If not, this excrement wallops.
Fast, technical yet melodic, and with vocals from a subterranean demon - this album scratches that itch perfectly. Kudos. jumpkicktotheface
Featuring members of Gatecreeper, Skeletonwitch, and Wolvhammer, Noose Rot deliver a grimy, crushing take on death doom. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 19, 2018