The band
Burning Ghosts is a fascinating hybrid of heavy metal and free jazz consisting of Daniel Rosenboom on trumpet, Jake Vossler on guitar, Richard Giddens on bass and Aaron McLendon on drums. The album opens with "Ftof" which has an insistent rhythm being laid down by the drums followed by some nimble trumpet playing. The group develops a choppy and nervous feel to the music that is even more enhanced with the entry of electric guitar. This pushes everyone forward to a very powerful collective improvisation with guitar and trumpet punching in tandem with deep bass and frenetic drumming. Rosenboom's trumpet leaps over jolts of scalding guitar before laying out and allowing a nasty guitar and percussion battle to commence, where lashing drums lead the way. Trumpet re-enters, taking the music even further afield, and leading a full charge to the conclusion. A drone punctuated by blasts of raw sound opens "Harbinger," creating an imposing musical edifice where trumpet arcs over the massive rhythm trio, growing ever more assertive. They drop into an immense post-rock groove that annihilates anything in their path. The music is dense and towering, eventually yielding an intense climax with slashing cymbals, growling guitar and frenetic trumpet playing, while blending in some opens spaces to ramp up the tension even further. "Radicals" juxtaposes gnarly overdriven guitar with subtle brass to interesting effect, developing opposite roles that build upon each other. There is a nice bass solo interleaved between the two opposing forces, which opens space for the music to breathe. Rosenboom adds further texture with muted trumpet, before everyone enters the blast zone with some over the top full band playing, becoming a thrilling boil. The music strives forward vigorously over a punishing beat, with stoic trumpet and drums achieving excellent cohesion. Subtle and insistent bass ushers in "Catalyst," serving as a foundation for full throttle drums and guitar, with the mad riffs making way for the entry of the trumpet. The music spits fire and lightning, maintaining it's fast speed, regardless of the complexity of the music. The dynamics at play are powerful with the music moving from slow and ponderous to white hot and fast. "Revolution" is a short and ripe blast of power that ends the album in fine fashion. Trumpet soars over vicious guitar, bass and drums, driving the music into a majestic and exciting conclusion. This is heavy and dense music that is still able to retain a tenuous tie to the jazz tradition while blasting it relentlessly into the future.
Reclamation - amazon.com
Send comments to
Tim.
