[rating=7.00]
Though they hail out of Portland, sludge/stoner band Red Fang have more in common with their brethren from the sludge capital of the world in Georgia—Baroness, Mastodon—than they do with bands commonly out of the Pacific Northwest. Red Fang can match heavy-riffing, whiskey chugging sounds with the best of them, but with their 2013 album Whales and Leeches, the band reached another level. They were able to pair that low-down dirty, distorted sound with earworm hooks, creating one of 2013’s best albums and even nabbing them an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman (complete with a surprisingly awesome organ accompaniment from band leader Paul Shaffer). After putting out an album that was so successful, Red Fang faces the problem that many other great bands face: following up an album that likely defined their career.
Only Ghosts, overall, feels like a natural progression of the style of Red Fang. The album opens with the lead single “Flies,” which sounds like it would have fit well on Whales and Leeches. Sonically speaking, the album features some super thick, distorted bass tones from bassist and lead vocalist Aaron Beam. Several songs have Beam starting off and setting the tone following by chunky riffs and lively drums. It’s a nice little jam that dovetails into the albums second track “Cut It Short” which features the most memorable hook on the album.
The music here is solid across the board. It’s a guitar-centric album, which is no surprise because Red Fang is a guitar-centric band. Musically, songs are well-structured with riffs leading into a whole lot of heavy jamming, often the highlights of the album. Look no further than the final couple minutes of the albums closing track “Living in Lye,” which closes out with a thunderous dual guitar assault complete with scorching leads and a perfect groove. In fact, in terms of sheer musical complexity and creativity, this might be the best work Red Fang has ever done.
Vocally, however, is where the album and the band begin to show its limitations. Beam has two vocal styles: clean singing and a gritty, throaty shout. Beam’s strengths lie in the shouts, which generate a lot of power and fit the crusty tone of the music. This style is where Whales and Leeches spent most of its time, and the album shines as a result. There’s a clear shift in Only Ghosts which has Beam leaning more on the clean singing which is a mixed bag, to say the least. It works in standout tracks like “Shadows,” which goes back and forth between the two styles, and has some of the best guitar work on the album. But take the aforementioned “Cut It Short,” for example. As good of a song as it may be, the verses feature Beam fading in and out of tune, only really reigning it in during the chorus.
Beyond that, the songs just aren’t as memorable as those on Whales and Leeches. There are at least 5 tracks on that album which feature instant, magnetic vocal and guitar hooks. There’s a little bit of that on Only Ghosts, but no track that makes you want to instantly hit repeat like “DOEN,” “Blood Like Cream,” “No Hope,” and so many others on Whales and Leeches.
Is it a little unfair to hold this album against Whales and Leeches? Maybe. But it is also fair game to hold a band to a higher standard when they put out something that transcendent. Only Ghosts is by no means a bad album. It’s a showcase for guitarists Bryan Giles and David Sullivan who absolutely shred the entire way through. It may be that this album is a grower, as a second listen allowed for some adjustment to the new vocal styles and a greater appreciation for the music. After a couple spins, however, it’s some questionable vocals and a general lack of memorability that make this release a slight, although noticeable, let down.
