Review: “Tragedy of the Commons” by Great American Ghost

Having been somewhat out of the limelight since 2022 EP “Torture World” found them collaborating with legendary producer Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Fit For An Autopsy, Kittie), the return of New Hampshire natives Great American Ghost is an intriguing prospect. Since their inception in 2012 they have always been an outfit to push not only their boundaries but those of their fans with genre defying sounds. Originally describing themselves as a Metallic Hardcore band, their muscular riffs, bleak and yet furiously uncompromising messages and bludgeoning percussion has at times found them reaching into the realm of Deathcore. Inking a deal with SharpTone Records, the label home of Stick To Your Guns, We Came As Romans and Bleeding Through to name but a few, the band announced a new line up with Grayson Stewart and Anthony Laur joining the fold, both on guitars and the former as a backing vocalist. They reinforce the writing partnership of original members in vocalist Ethan Harrison and guitarist Niko Gasparrini, leaving  us to wonder just who played drums on the record they’re calling a powerful statement on exploitation, oppression and scarcity…

…anyone who knows Great American Ghost will know that they’ve always been an outfit with a spleen to vent, Harrison’s venomous bile filled cathartic rage fuelled fits a masterclass in self expression. That coupled with the style of their sound made a return to work with Will Putney an obvious choice with the waterfall release of five singles in advance of the record whetting the appetite. Laced with industrial beats and programming “Kerosene” is a beast of an opening cut, a true baptism of fire for anyone that hasn’t heard the band before. Brutally heavy and as dark as they come, it’s a fierce offering with Ministry or Skinny Puppy vibes and an atmosphere of tension you could cut with a knife. After that hit of adrenaline “Echoes of War” changes the angle of attack a staccato riff break loaded heavy end Metalcore cut with an surprise clean sung chorus backed by screams that’s big enough to fill an arena on provision of pyrotechnics. Blast beats and an Alpha Wolf style breakdown passage in the final throes make it fearfully addictive and while it’s doesn’t have the attention grabbing punch of the opening cut, it’s more of what you’d expect. “Lost In The Outline” follows a very similar path, the quartet cutting a path through the urban jungle with bombastic bounce and a bleak anthemic chorus. The verses are nothing short of vicious, Harrison’s throat shredding style as unrelenting as the percussive battery that they float above. Arguably the finest of the anthemic choruses on the record is the one at the beating black heart of “Forsaken” which soars majestically like an Eagle riding the thermals despite being surrounded by intensely fierce rhythmic battery and spine juddering guitar work. What makes it work is a combination of high production value and slick transition, the band not giving up any of their energy or momentum in exchange for getting the audience to sing-a-long.

Bursts of violent riffage hit like sub-machine gun fire in the first verse of “Ghost In Flesh“, an eerie spoken word after a glorious sung chorus is pure evil. It’s going to sound like a cliché but its true, Great American Ghost both vocally and sonically provide a wealth of memorable hard hitting moments that keep you coming back for more. Some bands only achieve this once or twice on an album but the New Hampshire outfit achieve it in every song – more than once. In theory at least, that shouldn’t be possible but the band have evolved into a monster capable of extraordinary things. Taking the Metalcore template of the 2003 era inspired by the Gothenburg Sound, they’ve chemically enhanced it to dramatic effect, injecting elements of Hardcore, Deathcore and violence. The vocals are harsher, the guitars are viciously barbed and the percussion pulverising and yet… the choruses offer the dull ache of pain, exposing the nerve at its root. Stewart adds sombre clean vocal passages to “Writhe“, the melancholia in the guitars creating a brooding atmospheric, as a story wrapped in the chains of melody plays out. Pushing their boundaries once more, it’s a masterclass in song writing for the modern Metal era, everything stitched together perfectly. Bringing back the Industrial Metal vibes of the opening cut, “Genocide” cuts screams against whispers like a more extreme version of “Encoder” by the aforementioned We Came As Romans. The stomp is unstoppable, the searing heat unescapable. Bursts of Lamb Of God style Groove Metal riffage underpins the vicious assault on the senses that is “Hymn of Decay“, that is when the Great American Ghost aren’t introducing another Grand Canyon sized chorus. A chunky breakdown section mid cut is an absolute joy that will put a smile on the face of even the hardest of Metal heads, the final chorus requiring nay demanding a grand auditorium to do it justice when performed live.

Stylistically there is no doubt there is a formula at work behind the majority of the cuts on “Tragedy of the Commons” it largely goes unnoticed because everything here has been done so well. Surprisingly a greater amount of clean vocals on “Chapel Paralysis” doesn’t mean it feels less heavy, instead with the Polaris like anthem the band strike a balance, pushing the caustic guitars to the forefront in the gaps. Flipping the script “Reality//Relapse” feels schizophrenic with its manic approach, punching and punching over and over like a prize fighter out for blood. Industrial elements rise to the surface at various points before being plunged back into the dark waters, this one being a stand out in writhing fury. Once more with feeling? Applying the All Killer, No Filler cliché “God Is A Loaded Gun” passes up the opportunity to finish the album on some bleak shoegazing Nine Inch Nails inspired substance and instead finds Harrison spitting and snarling with murderous intent. Angular riffs support the concentrated artillery bombardment of the percussion before an ethereal moment finishes the record in eerie fashion. All in all, this is one to scare the opposition, a rip-snorter of a record from start to finish that has a little bit of everything you want and no fat to trim [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Kerosene
2. Echoes of War
3. Lost In The Outline
4. Forsaken
5. Ghost In Flesh
6. Writhe
7. Genocide
8. Hymn of Decay
9. Chapel Paralysis
10. Reality//Relapse
11. God Is A Loaded Gun

“Tragedy of the Commons” by Great American Ghost is out 31st January 2025 via SharpTone Records