Ghosther - Through Fire

Before the release of their debut album, the Rhinelanders decided to say goodbye to their old band name MoDo, since the Italian Eurodance project, which landed a hit in 1994 with Eins, zwei, Polizei..., still owns the naming rights - and that's how it ended at the end of August MoDo – Ghosther! A difficult step, because the quartet around singer Jenny Jansen has been touring under this name since 2014 and released a first-class EP in 2017 with Departure. Fortunately, musically everything has stayed the same, edgy alternative rock with a good punch of metal that grooves like hell.

The rock-hard entry number Breathing shows that, as if the four wanted to make it clear right away: Ghosther are here now, stronger than ever. Power drumming and a relentless, driving groove characterize the hard-hitting piece, which will certainly create one or two circle pits live in front of the stage. The Bitterend gives you a short breather with a catchy melody before it's bouncing back on track with energetic growls from guitarist Andy . The song has massive hit potential!

Twenty is also a driving rock song with fine vocal melodies, which are again flanked by heavy growls. HOPE shows a completely different face at the beginning with a more experimental vocal performance by Jenny, but then the foot is put on the gas pedal again. But the piece remains varied and develops an anthem character. Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder doesn't take any prisoners right from the start, the piece grooves through the speakers so fat that I'm afraid the membranes could burst. Lighthouse gives a brief opportunity to straighten the hairstyle and develops into a sing-along number where the (storm) lighters can be brought out in the live program. Hand 2 Heart is just another standard, but it also leaves a lot of scorched earth behind. Conscious is garnished with a few electronic effects, but otherwise moves like Lonely Life in the area of what has been said so far. The title track Through Fire is a bit more intricate in structure, rhythm and speed vary, which creates additional dynamics and finally marks a fat high point on the album.

Thanks to the first-class production by Aljoscha Sieg ( Pitchback Studios , Eskiomo Callboy , Annisokay , We Butter The Bread With Butter , Any Given Day, etc. ) , Through Fire perfectly captures the live power of Ghosther , which I remembered in September at the group meeting of the Heavy Metal fans Facebook group in Oberhausen could already convince.