After my initial listen, I judged Ghostlimb’s Bearing & Distance as something that I probably would not end up writing about on SAL. However, when rad German labels like Adagio 830 take the time and spend the money to send me vinyl to review I feel a bit more compelled to revisit albums.
Ghostlimb. 15 songs. 18 minutes. That overview gives you a fair idea of what to expect from Bearing & Distance. This is pissed off hardcore thrash that might be easy to dismiss up front. It’s loud, fast and short. With that combination it’s tough to make much of a first impression. But with repeated listens I was taken aback with how the melodicism of some of these tracks really began to shine through. I was also left with the observation that Ghostlimb sound completely and triumphantly modern. For a “hardcore” band that speaks volumes considering the genre is perhaps the most recycled of them all.
In the end there is enough here to bring me back to the table numerous times and I don’t even consider myself a fan of the genre. The anger of “Seven”, the poppy guitars of “Bridge Above Water” and the raw emotion of album closer “Loxodrome” (the only track that reaches above the two minute mark) are prime examples of Bearing & Distance’s versatility. Let’s see where they go from here. My interest is peaked.
Genre: Hardcore/Punk/Thrash
RIYL: Graf Orlock, Thrash
Label: Adagio 830/Level Plane
Document
Bridge Above The Water
I think I heard these guys before on a 4 way split LP.
I can’t remember a thing about it though — usually a bad sign.
I’ll check them out again.