Between Heaven And Hell; Gost Exists

The last time we visited with Gost on Synthetix.FM was way back in August 2013. This isn't to say that Gost's been out of action til now, not at all. In fact, Gost has released quite a bit of music in the last six months but I've found his more recent tunes to be leaning a bit to far into the abrasive side and lacked the counter punch of the more melodic structures. That is until now, as Gost's self titled EP has brought a tempering balance to his vicious synthscapes that brings back the 80s horror synthscapes exceptionally well.

I find that with the extreme music that I like, in general, that there needs to be the contrast of sounds to give importance and impact to the other side. Too much intensity causes loss of intensity and that all important impact is lost. On Gost's new EP he's rediscovered and retooled and resurrected that 80s magic I found absent in his last few experiences. The result being five chapters of coal black Slash Electro that is backlit with a neon glow and rocks harder than a melonfarmer.


For all of Gosts marvellously entertaining evil bravado the real black magic in his jaggedly dangerous compositions is the sweetness of the melodies. 'Ritual' begins the incantations with sliced and diced rhythms electrified with seizure inducing brutality but it doesn't take long for the melodic beauty to be coerced and exorcised from the diabolical eruptions and given cause to rise and soar above the chaos. This is the true magic of this genre; the tightrope walk between heaven and oblivion, the beauty and the beast existing as one.

Gost stretches the chasms of depth even further in the follow up to 'Ritual' in the phantasmagorically constructed 'Cascade'. Melodies are light and vibrant, with only the rhythm section championing it's cause for complete arcane devourment.When the dark forces can wait no longer the gates are torn from their rusted hinges and the inner demons are unleashed but the music retains it's ethereal elements. Amid the growling synth ferocity a floating layer of beautiful serenity remains present.

'Ascension' begins as a blood pact forged in hellish domains where melodic beauty seems the furthest possible imaginable idea with cauldrons of malignancy boiling over with intensity. At the point of physical and emotional breakdown Gost conjures a wistfully enchanting melody which he then stabs and flays away with in a spectacular display of rhythmic flagellation. Melodies break and then reform, stronger, with more presence, the refrain refuses to bow down to its dark master in an act of eternal defiance.

Upon the introductory passages of  'Within' we're transported instantly into the realms of classic 70s horror soundtrack synth. The clarity of the instruments gives a gleaming, crystalline texture to the melodies which the chugging boorishness of the piece's back bone simply can't affect. The music is allowed to grow into an epic narrative that is possibly Gost's most ambitious excursion into the more atmospheric side of his sounds thus far. The structures are positively uplifting and full of promise without being destroyed by the curse.

The atmosphere is really what sets this release apart for this producer. Gost has developed a great storytelling aspect that gives that magically entrancing aspect to the greatest of synthual experiences. In 'Horizon' this is expanded even further as symphonic passages are configured into rising structures of immense grandeur. Layers of surfaces form and blend before our eyes as the impossible becomes the tangible and the music speaks a language all it own. Foreign tongues and bizarre customs from other worlds are presented in an incredibly original fashion that ends abruptly, but implies a great deal more of these interdimensional voyages are something Gost will guide us through when he feels we're ready for it.

Girlfriend Records presents Gost's self titled EP on their Bandcamp page here. I believe this a hugely important record in this genre as it takes both extremities of vulgarity and beauty and elevates them into electrifying new dimensions, not only in their own spaces but often at the same time. By rekindling his melodic muse, Gost has taken his synthscapes into an all new level of brilliance. The depths and heights achieved from movement to movement and track to track is akin to baroque religious iconography with its exquisitely refined paintings of the most grotesque subject matter. Gost's self titled EP is a true Synthetix Reference Experience and raises even more possibilities and intrigue as to where Gost's apparition will appear in his next incarnation.