Depending on who you ask, the very future for the underground of rock and metal music is maintained by any number of different concepts, groups, or actions with everyone having a slightly different answer based on their experiences, tastes, and expectations. For me, it lies in the passion of bands that are able to keep things moving forward with their efforts whether they seek to craft the next big thing or simply seek to perpetuate a sound they love through imitation. It can come in any form with bands like Ghost Avenue offering us a perfect example as such when it comes to that thin line which divides hard rock and heavy metal.
We could sit here all day and argue the difference between those two styles, but, at the end of the day, who really cares so long as everyone is having a good time? Ghost Avenue clearly does not care for the finer distinctions as they straddle the genre line nor do they blink so much as an eye throughout the whole of their fifth album, “Full Throttle”, in ways of delivering something that longtime fans of both sounds can crank. For all intents and purposes, Ghost Avenue did not seek to reinvent a single thing with these eight tracks offering us nothing short of a classic experience that we’ve seen many attempt to emulate, yet it’s through their clear understanding of the craft and backed by twin guitars, tight songwriting, and a consistent energy that “Full Throttle” more than delivers on its very name. On top of it all, you can truly tell that the people behind Ghost Avenue are having the time of their lives in throwing down these riffs and blazing down well-travelled roads laid forth by their influences. It’s an arguably by-the-numbers experience that many in the worlds of hard rock and heavy metal have delivered over the decades, yet I cannot help but feel as though Ghost Avenue has tapped into something interesting with this effort.
Throughout the whole of “Full Throttle”, we’re given something that reminds us of a time past that we are not easily brought back to, and Ghost Avenue takes that opportunity and runs with it past the horizon into the setting sun. I’ve always been a proponent for bands that try new things, but there’s always more than enough room for a more traditional approach that knows what it’s doing. Without question, this record proves that Ghost Avenue certainly does.
LISTEN to “Full Throttle” on YouTube Music here.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hca7vFiidaE