Gost Works The Nocturnal Shift

Gost's second release has landed with a heavy thud and screams of alarm as his horror disco spills out in crimson waves through the cold night. This four track EP displays an evolution to the Gost sound that goes for a hard edge straight to the jugular with a massively visceral delivery of electro violence.

The ambient elements of his previous EP (reviewed on Synthetix.FM here) have been almost entirely extricated from the Gost experience in favour of a brutal energy that goes from the graveyard to the dance floor with dire consequences for all. The combination of sounds create a very individualised aura that is absolutely rockin to the core.





The opening title track sets the scene in seconds. There is no long build or mood setting pieces to allow the listener to ease into the experience, instead we're dropped head first into a crunching belligerence which scratches with ferocity and pounds with demonic rage. 'Nocturnal Shift' is a discordant anthem that has no safe listening distance and it's primal rawness is self evident throughout.

With such a strong opening piece I was wondering whether the next track would attempt to retain or raise the energy levels or go down lower for contrast, and just like any horror experience worth it's salt Gost fires a swerve ball of dangerously devilish disco in the listener's direction that lands with maximum impact. The rolling bassline bends and distorts through diamond sharp melodies all while the transition from man to wolf twists the body and mind of the lycanthropic victim.

Moving into 'Day 30' the disco elements are cranked into a super catchy bass line driven odyssey into madness. The smooth synths take on a much more organic flavour that feel natural and stable but the panic of the basslines betray the madness beneath the skin. A boiling mass that is part animal and part human becomes a fusion of giallo disco brilliance.

The final movement titled 'Silver Bullet' turns the hysteria into a deliberately paced dirge. The music feels slightly introspective, as if the werewolf recognises it's own human elements, but knows it's far too late to be anything but a moon driven murder. The music is raw and full of coursing energy but the final showdown is near and the ending is a foregone conclusion as life drips away but the wild inside refuses to die.

Werkstatt Recordings presents Gost's Nocturnal Shift on their Bandcamp page here. This EP is a wonderfully macabre journey into the darker side of the 80s inspired synth scene with a fresh and original take on giallo disco sounds. The ferocity of the action and depth of the story are massively entertaining and I can wholeheartedly recommend this release to anyone who dares to walk on the wild side, by the light of the moon, with a distant howl echoing through brisk night air.