Boston’s Great American Ghost have never done anything by half, always aiming to the push the boundaries of extremity, Torture World sees the band return with a whole new level of sonic violence. In recent releases Great American Ghost have vented their anger at issues ranging from Government complicity in sex trafficking and abuse to the fear of failure that keeps so many people caged in a perpetual cycle of apathy and lethargy. Torture World carries on this trend, with urgency and passion, the EP tackles issues revolving around the struggle for equality that has resulted in the significant social unrest of the last couple of years. Having teamed up with producer Will Putney (Knocked Loose, The Amity Affliction), Torture World does not pull its punches.
The EP shifts between brutal hardcore and thrashing metal, with discordant melody raining down like sledgehammers upon your fragile skull. The very visceral anger is articulated efficiently with unrelenting power. Never shirking in the face of grizzly reality, Ethan Harrison is not shy in delivering this eye opening message with a sharp and scathing eloquence. ‘Kingmaker’ is the most traditionally hardcore song on the EP, packed full of jarring discordance and ruthless breakdowns, it sets out the EP’s intent from the very first second. Title track ‘Torture World’ utilises a harrowing melody to drive home how disgusting and vile this planet can be. Perhaps the greatest surprise is ‘Death Forgives No One’, the melodic focus gives rise to haunting clean vocal choruses that make you reminisce on late 2000’s era metalcore before smashing you back into the cold, hard ground with a barrage of modern hardcore.
Torture World is 14 minutes of pure aggression and visceral rage, swiftly reminding you of the chaos and discourse that surrounds us each and every day in this modern world. Whilst dabbling more in the metal world we see Great American Ghost expand their sound to be more explosive and turbulent than ever before.