GHOST MACHINERY
"Haunting
Remains" (Sound Riot; 2004)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
You may experience a strange feeling of deja vu as you listen to Ghost Machinery's "Haunting Remains" CD. Oh, you'll enjoy the music, but you may feel as though you've heard it all before. There's not much originality to be found here. In fact, "Haunting Remains" sounds a lot like all the other power metal / melodic metal CDs out there.
That's not a bad thing if you're a fan of the genre because the good news is that Ghost Machinery does it at least as well as the other bands and sometimes does it a little better. The musicianship is impressive, the vocalist has a strong, clear voice and the production is high quality throughout.
And, although Ghost Machinery may not break any new ground here, they do shake things up a little. The band describes themselves as "a power metal band. It's melodic and symphonic ..." as well as featuring "neo-classical elements." There are certainly elements of all those sub-genres throughout "Haunting Remains" but there are also songs that could have appeared on any AOR album, such as track 5, "Down in Flames." The variations, although minor, help keep the album interesting.
"Haunting Remains" is a great album for anyone who is into power metal, progressive metal or melodic metal, as long as you're not looking for something new and different.
Ghost Machinery: Pete Ahonen - vocals, guitars; Tapsa Pelkonen - bass guitar; Jussi Ontero - drums, keyboards.
For more information, check out http://www.ghostmachinery.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
18 Mar 2024 13:45:57 -0500.
