It’s been a while since I have written up a single review. There have been several huge life changes I have gone through in the space of a few months that I have been trying to get my head around. Due to what this song explores, this is a perfect one to start off with.
Back in April this year, TRIBE OF GHOSTS released their latest single Sunburner (Deny The Rot). TRIBE OF GHOSTS have been around since the end of 2019 and it’s been the past couple of years they have emerged as ones to watch for. Given what they have released so far and their captivating live shows, it’s easy to see why. So far, each release from this band have each sounded different from each other yet you know it’s them from the moment you press play on each track.
Sunburner (Deny The Rot) looks into guitarist/vocalist Adam Sedgewick’s own struggles with his mental health after being diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder, this is what he says.
“When my mental health began severely declining, before my diagnosis, I always associated the Sun as some kind of aggressor or enemy as it would cause emotional and physical discomfort whenever I saw it. This discomfort would bring on these intense feelings of anxiety and intense physical pain that I would daily attempt to mask and ignore as I didn’t want to accept I was mentally unwell.”
You can hear this struggle, anguish and pain through brutally honest lyrics such as “the light will never guide us home, it’s blinding, all too much to take”. The sludgy and chaotic music arrangements communicate what it can be like for individuals going through ill mental, I have started likening it to walking through treacle and that’s what this music arrangement communicates to me.
One of the aspects about TRIBE OF GHOSTS is their vast vocal range and it is no exception here. I was already aware of Beccy Blaker’s vast vocal range from the previous single, here she shows another side of it through prevailing growls. I can easily say she is one of the best underground metal vocalists on the scene right now and this track is proof of this. Sunburner (Deny The Rot) also features a guest appearance from Ben Mason; his angry, dominant growls backed with slower, sludgier music arrangements is a perfect encapsulation of ill mental health.
TRIBE OF GHOSTS continue to deliver up excellence and this single is solid proof of them. They are due to appear at Bloodstock this summer so be sure to check them out on Saturday 12th August on the Sophie Stage.
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Find TRIBE OF GHOSTS on Facebook.
