Llynch

We Are Our Ghosts

Bastardized Recordings 2008

On Llynch's debut full length we are treated to a noisy and angry expression of post hardcore soundscapes.  Symbol Repetition gets things started with irate screaming vocals and even more fuming riffs and clashing drums.  At about the half-way point the song then changes gears for some emotionally haunting clean-vocalled passages that elicit a feeling of love scorned.  A bouncier step hits immediately on Athena but the song seems to be on the verge of exploding but never quite falls over that ledge.  Floating North is a quiet instrumental that drifts over a sample but in the end doesn't really do much but leads directly into Eyes Toward Oort.  The intensity gradually builds within the composition's confines with ebbing drums and a cacophony of crashing cymbals.  The dreamlike feel of Moria is enhanced by alternating male and female vocals though the constant sharp snare drum is a stark reminder that we are still awake.  The song steadily builds in its layer and intensity.  This is followed by the 10 minute title track which hits like a jackhammer to the eardrum as the album's fire is reignited.  A stream of thick Stop-start guitar riffs stab above hissing cymbals.  The song reaches a state of inner peace with clean guitars and subdued vocals.  Despite this there remains a constant sensation where you know in the back of your head that things are getting ready to erupt into a firestorm of aggression.  And as if on cue, at the 7:43 mark the hammer falls in meaty Tool/Helmet inspired power.  The bass guitar rumbles and P Hell's vocals spit acid on Llizzards and, despite the lull in the middle, the album ends as it began, with noise and anger.  A constant undercurrent of depressed yearning flows steadily throughout this album.  At an hour and four minutes this album is a little too long for its own good.  If you are a fan of the early material on Ferret Records (Skycamefalling, From Autumn to Ashes, Remembering Never) but wish it had been darker and more metallic then Llynch should be your cup of tea.