There's a gentle beauty in bleakness. You can sit out back, watching the fireflies glitter and flitter, watching the world sway and swagger; and all around, the outside world crumbles, breaks and beckons. You can pull away into the dreamy dusk and float away as everyone you know and love sinks into despair and solitude. And you can listen to GHOST BATH's second full-length "Moonlover". Minot, North Dakota has bred a band of whispering truths, of shattered minds and crumbling lies. If MUTILATION RITES mounted NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION, you might catch a glimpse of what this band is about. The title of opener and intro 'The Sleeping Fields' describes the feeling exactly.
The second track and first real song 'Golden Number' jumps right into the bleakness and desperation, but with a hint of hope and beauty. Over nine minutes, you're snatched into the swirling chaos on a mind-numbing journey that'll leave you breathless. 'Happyhouse' is not happy at all. The tempo slows to a creeping crawl while still maintaining a move forward. Instrumental 'Beneath the Shade Tree' needs no vocals. 'The Silver Flower Pt 1' is another instrumental conveying the feeling described at the beginning of this review. 'The Silver Flower Pt 2' picks up the pace and barrels into melancholy while bleeding vocals scream to their heart's content. 'Death and the Maiden' ends the album with a bang. A shimmering hope protrudes through the misery as the guitars filter an uplifting energy into the mix.
An epic bonus track is included in the CD. However, the vinyl version ends quite nicely otherwise. This album will shatter your senses and leave you in a state of bliss and sadness at the same time. And damn, does this album grow on you.
