Over the last handful of years, if someone asked me for a metalcore band recommendation that they perhaps have not heard of before, Ghost Iris would often be my answer. And for good reason. The djent-y Danish quartet has amassed 4 full length LPs, all chock full of diverse vocals and technical, yet melodic instrumentals. Though the conceptual nature of their previous album, Apple of Discord, has been stripped back, Comatose can still be cut from the same cloth.
The album opens with a short intro that sports a drum pattern reminiscent of a Civil War march. The perfectly toned guitar build-up transitions seamlessly into one of the lead singles, “Desert Dread (feat. Mark Hunter)”. Metalcore veterans will recognize that name via Chimaira fame, and in fact, this feature is Mark’s first return to the scene since his thyroid cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, he is now in remission. As for the song itself, the verses are fast paced and hard hitting, while the chorus is a slow belting of the lyrics to reinforce the fact that the message of the song should be considered with care. Vocalist Jesper Vicencio cleared up said message within the comments of the song’s visualizer stating: “…it’s about people that just mindlessly procreate without taking into consideration the repercussions of said procreation.” I think having Comatose open with such a lesson is a strong start.
“Paper Tiger” is more straightforward on multiple fronts. The chugging riffs are a nice change of pace and the lyrics do demand musing, but overall, it strikes me as a by the books metalcore song, albeit with the band’s known djent influence. As our first taste of the album back in January, I was not, and still am not too impressed with this one. Luckily, other tracks make up for it.
“Cult” starts off with a lead riff cut straight from the cloth of Polyphia’s Renaissance era, but it doesn’t feel out of place for the band. It lulls the listener into a false sense of security before abandoning that for near a deathcore style drum pattern. The lead riff dances with brutal sweeping chords within the song to make for quite the dichotomy, but it produces a complete piece of work that fits nicely within the track listing.
Not counting the intro, “Former Self,” despite being halfway into the record, is the first song that was brand new to fans on release day. It’s also the longest track on Comatose, clocking in at nearly five minutes. The bridge utilizes the extended length with a beautiful back and forth with screams at the forefront, and Jesper’s cleans soaring in the background. It has a closer feel, and I think it could have served better as such. This part was exceptionally done, and one of the more poignant moments on the album, but it does not completely save the first half, which was middling.
“Coda” is another offender of not doing anything impressive till the back half, or until a specific moment. At the halfway mark for this one, there’s a brutally down tuned breakdown with a haunting sample accenting it. Then after one more iteration of the chorus, the song flexes a chaotic chord progression leading into another djent inspired instrumental passage that plays the track out. It’s a stellar second half once again, that nearly begs forgiveness of the lack luster first half.
“Ebb//Flow” is worth mentioning only because it’s perhaps the softest song on the band’s discography to date. It’s by no means a ballad, but there are no traces to be found of screams, and the instrumentals are more subdued than its counterparts on Comatose. Jesper’s clean passages have some bright moments, but the song does not do much for me on the attention-grabbing front. It wouldn’t need to be heavy to do that, I should mention, but it pales in comparison to most other songs on the record.
“Cold Sweat” dials the energy back up to 11. It’s the most consistently heavy track and the back-and-forth between the clean vocals and screams is done as well here as any Ghost Iris song. The aforementioned back-and-forth also leads to lyrical density that is not always present for them.
“Coma” has a couple moments worth mentioning, but overall I think it once again is an example of just an average metalcore song. It opens with a sampled speech that is a nice soft open. Also, later in the song the drums take center stage while Jesper’s vocals are distorted and in the background.
The album ends with “Power Schism.” The main riff used throughout the verses is an absolute heater and adds an energy that was already present in the great delivery on the vocal front. My only issue with the track is the lackluster chorus, which is a rarity for the sung vocals for the band. It’s a great closer, though, full of instrumental change ups that are all explosive and heavy.
Comatose suffers from some average songs and choices that snuck their way into the album. However, it has a wide display of fantastic moments, and if you are looking for by-the-books djent inspired metalcore to get you through the day, you need not look much further. The Danish group has also cemented themselves as some the best of what their country has to offer at the moment on the heavy music front. Be sure to check this one out, and their previous albums as well. Comatose is out now via Long Branch Records, and you can purchase/stream the record here.
6/10