Ghost Toast – Shade Without a Color

Releasedate: 03-03-2022
Label:  Inverse Records

Intro

Ghost Toast, the progressive metal band from Hungary, released their 5th work. And ladies and gentlemen, they simply did it again. This is a brilliant progressive/post-rock band. Something that rocked my socks off before and managed to keep the tradition. And they are consistent since it took exactly two years from releasing one album to the other. If this keeps being this way, we can expect another album on the 3rd of March of 2024.

I loved their previous album (it was reviewed by yours truly as well, and you can find it here). I got to know Ghost Toast in March 2020, and I was considering even traveling abroad to see them live… then the thing that should not be named happened, and no one got to properly move around anywhere, let alone music events and festivals.

What to expect?

But enough with the praise, let’s go to the music. The first track, “Get rid of”, starts brilliantly from the first seconds, with drums blasting from the first moment and the guitars following. As for the second one, “Leaders” could be a track for an introduction to a dystopian movie, where they include audio clips of speeches reflecting on, you guessed it right, leadership. So you listen to it, and you tell me what you think.

And following, the track “Chasing time” takes the album to the level I expected. I absolutely loved it, but that is sort of expected since it is the longest track of the album with 12 minutes in length. I think my favorite tunes are long because I get to change my mood as it plays. Not possible to get bored. As the album continues, my surprise is the variety of genres and multi-instrumental skills of these guys.

The further we go, the further I’m convinced that this band can do whatever the hell they want. And I could go on and on trying to describe Ghost Toast‘s music. For example, “Let me be no nearer” has some sort of world music/reggae vibe with choral singing included. But I can definitely sum up by saying that the tracklist has something for everyone. Similarly, if “Reaper man” is played at a trance festival, people will find their trip more acceptable. Indeed, I would. And at the ending of the album, “Rejtekből”, is the farewell wish of a band that I would like to consider as friends (haven’t met them yet).

Summing up

To conclude, I cannot say enough good things about this band. I really really wish to have the opportunity to see them live anytime soon and know that we don’t have all the same taste and I like that diversity about music but I truly believe that there is something for everybody in this album. I suggest you to listen to this and their last album. Their sound makes me think of Tool and Godspeed you! Black emperor, so this might be one of those cases of a band from a small music market that if it takes the leap to a bigger one, it can really fly. I read the other reviews and I’m not alone in this. I wish them all the success in the world.

Line up:

• János Stefán – Bass, sound fx, programming, acoustic guitar, keyboards
• Bence Rózsavölgyi – Guitars
• Zoltán Cserő – Drums, drum programming
• János Pusker – Cello, keyboards

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