Pennsylvania, USA-based rock outfit Ghost Wounds set their sights on the end of the world with their new three track EP The Slow Apocalypse.

By Graeme Smith

Ghost Wounds are Chris Eckhart on guitar and vocals, Cale Muffley on bass and Jonathan Roth on drums and vocals. The band features ex-members of Speedwell, Meredith Bragg + The Terminals, Carpenter Ant, Sound of Reverse, Wondertaker, and others.

They’re appearing on our blog for the first time thanks to their new EP, The Slow Apocalypse, a three track EP that acts as a taster menu for the band’s sound. It mixes the personal with the political, centred around a theme of devastation.

Opening with the slow-building Fate of Lust, we are eased into the raw and jangly world of Ghost Wounds. A hypnotic looping melody sets out the verse before things become hard in the chorus. Passionate vocals match the energy of the instrumental perfectly in a unique and edgy rock composition.

Crossed Heirs rumbles along with moody bass and drums in its intro before finding an eerie stride during its tale of power dynamics and gun violence. Its chorus is wonderfully visceral and it calls on the listener to change things in true punk fashion.

Inferno gives us some great loud/quiet contrast as it gets to the heart of the matter, exploring Capitalism’s impact on society and the natural world. Its quick-fire choruses prove to be a final highlight.

The three tracks on The Slow Apocalypse feel distinct from each other, yet all three hang together well to tell a wider story of a world going to hell. In line with rock bands of every generation past, Ghost Wounds beautifully render the alienation of our current culture, giving us just the right amount of nihilism.

The Slow Apocalypse is out now via Better Living Through Records and Engineer Records, available as a digital release and on seven inch vinyl (as a two-tracker) via Bandcamp. You can check it out below.