• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

If you're going grave-robbing anytime soon, this sickening parasite of musical misery would serve as the perfect soundtrack. Dripping with menace and covered in boils, Ghast's May The Curse Bind is a grimy collection of evil Black Metal in the Krieg or Leviathan vein (only without the bullshit experimentation), seeped in a Death Metal production with the soul-crushing weight of Doom pushing it down. For a Welsh band, they have a distinctly American sound, bringing some of the scene's bigger players to mind, yet there is something quite nasty and original about Ghast, and for a debut this is performed with knowledge and vigor, going for the throat through wicked howls, earthy riffs, and enough gore-splattered percussion to paint the walls red.

Ghast are at their best during opener "Crawl, Blighted And Afraid", a nefarious and despicable track that will have genre wannabes running for the exit. This is the kind of music that would make your grandmother weep, and good on them; "Give Your Wrists" evokes the deepest human despair, and that's exactly what this style can do when done well. Every track here is a muddy epic, with the cavernous "Hexed Under Moon" seeing us out. As a trio, Ghast manage to create a bottomless atmosphere that brings to mind murderous deeds, making May The Curse Bind a record that disturbs as well as excites. The UK has had a pitiful metal scene for too long now; at least now we have monsters like Ghast in our arsenal.