Doom artisans Chrome Ghost formed in Sacramento back in 2015. After quickly releasing a brief demo their creativity has been constant, dependably marking each year with a release. It was their 2019 sophomore LP The Diving Bell that turned my head with its spacious melodies and ethereal sludge. After another EP and compilation of early works, Chrome Ghost return in 2022 with their most dynamic and adventurous release yet. House of Falling Ash indulges the band’s penchant for 10+ minute compositions with a stunning record that feels cinematic in its vision. The album officially releases on Friday (October 28th). Thankfully, Seeing Red Records has partnered with us to share this otherwordly album early.
The album’s wide-screen ambitions begin with “Rose in Bloom,” which introduces the band’s dichotomy of fragile beauty and creeping menace. This is doom for fans unafraid of melody. Think Opeth’s gentle-hearted heaviness, but with a doomgaze edge. The album is impeccably engineered by Patrick Hills, who never lets the distortion crush the subtler details to death. But when Chrome Ghost ignite a heavy passage it’s ferocious. The closing title track commences with a snarl from vocalist/guitarist Jake Kilgore that summons dusk. Despite the record’s harsh passages, there’s an inviting component to the album. Chrome Ghost invite you to sit with them, hold a feral cat in your lap, and watch the world burn.
“House of Falling Ash is our attempt at expanding our sound and approach farther than we have before,” shares Chrome Ghost. “We really let our influences and inspirations take over and embraced some ideas that would have seemed impossible if not unlikely on recordings past, namely the arpeggiated synth inspired by Phillip Glass’ Prophecies, pedal steel guitar and a general sense of the western aesthetic taken from music by Ennio Morricone, Earth, Neil Young, etc. [There’s also a] dreamier shoegaze texture reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Shiner. We hoped that using a wide palette of sounds would illustrate the album’s themes―those of living in the past, of the symbolism within the guarded self, how self-soothing self-destruction can be, and the lengths we go to hide from pain.”
Cross the threshold into Chrome Ghost’s House of Falling Ash by pressing play below.
Pre-order House of Falling Ash from Seeing Red Records HERE
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