Rabidfest 2023: “Sunburner (Deny The Rot)” by Tribe Of Ghosts (Track Review)

Is it possible to combine a weekly Rabidfest feature and a track review for the new Tribe of Ghosts single “Sunburner (Deny The Rot)” in a single article and make it work? We’re about to find out… As we wait for the next wave of bands to be announced for this years 10th anniversary of Rabidfest we turn our attention to the bands new single as a foretelling of what’s to come when they take to the Devolution Magazine sponsored main stage in November…

Creating music that blurs the lines between genres is something that Tribe Of Ghosts have specialised in during recent times and with “Sunburner (Deny The Rot)” they make no exception, taking elements of fire and ice and combining them in perfect alchemy. Crushing Gloom Metal riffs counteract icy synths as the voices inside the head go against each other, the clean angelic vocals of Beccy Blaker cutting against the demonic uncleans of guitarist Adam Sedgwick like waring factions. The two intertwine as the pounding rhythms of bassist Ben Kitching and drummer Danny Yates beckon the oncoming storm… then from seemingly nowhere the band dive into downtempo Deathcore with hints of Slam for a tectonic plate shifting final third that sees Ben Mason of Bound in Fear and Pintglass fame decimate the weak. The underlying themes of mental illness are there for all to see, the theatrical decent into unhinged madness in the performances resonating with those who have suffered at its evil hands and it has to be said, that this is masterfully done [9/10]

The lyrics of “Sunburner (Deny The Rot)” were originally written in 2018 by guitarist Adam Sedgwick about his experiences before and after being diagnosed with ‘Generalised Anxiety Disorder’. A powerfully personal disclosure, the lyrics outline the daily denial of mental illness, ending with the acceptance of the disorder and the beginning of therapy and healing. He comments: “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 that I was mentally unwell.”

The journey to this years 10th anniversary of Rabidfest will take Tribe Of Ghosts to the following stages:

28/04 – Uprising Festival Leicester
30/04 – The Black Prince, Northampton
26/05 – Doomsday Festival, Brighton
17/06 – The Black Prince, Northampton
22/07 – Summer Bash V, The Facebar, Reading
10/08 – Bloodstock Festival, Derbyshire
05/11 – Rabidfest, Oxford

We’re proud to be a Media Partner of Rabidfest again this year alongside Red Death Media, Moomin Merchandise, Metalplanetmusic, Moshville Times, GraphicsFix, Unearthed Music and main stage sponsor Devolution Magazine. The Festival is all for charity and this year the profits going to the The Sophie Lancaster Foundation! Here’s the line up announced so far for this years event…

Blaze Bayley
Absolva
Ward XVI
Mortishead
Tribe Of Ghosts
Gutlocker
Imperium
From Her Ashes
Draconian Reign
Monasteries
Reveller
LestWeForget
Johanna Rey

Rabidfest will take place at The Bullingdon in Oxford over the weekend of the 4th and 5th November 2023:

Get your tickets here -> https://www.rabidfest.co.uk

Get your merch here -> https://shop.rabidfest.co.uk