An infectious brand of metal somewhere between the likes of Iron Maiden and Bonfire.

Ghost are from Norway and offer an infectious brand of metal somewhere between the likes of Iron Maiden and Bonfire. Title track 'The Engraving' has some nice twin guitar work that gives the song a distinctive feel and is not unlike early Helloween. Kim Sandvik's vocals are strong and have a confidence to them that lends well to the songs.

A churning riff that took me back to a band called Artch that I was fond of many years ago, serves A.W.A.T very well and has a strong melodic metal chorus that the likes of Bonfire made a living out of. Despite this being released on the band's own label and only supporting Jorn so far, I would imagine it won't be long before they are signed. There's plenty to get your head nodding to and 'Agent Down' has a rock solid riff and a tough chorus that the likes of Accept excelled with. If the band have an ace card to play it's in the guitar department, the twin guitar work sounds fresh and always blasts its way to the surface of every song.

'Taking Lives' has a subtle intro as the guitars and drums build before the song takes off, this is what makes this cd release so enjoyable. If you're a fan of metal you cannot help but enjoy what's on offer, and a few prominent support slots could push this band to the next stage. Its not all skull crushing riffs and it's a welcome change of pace in 'Independence Day' as the band take time to breathe and show the more stripped down essence of their song writing abilities. It's not exactly a ballad but it's the closet thing on offer here.

Bringing things to a close the gut bucket bass lines let 'Here I Am' take off into typical Bonfire territory as the guitars of Oystein Wiik and Andre Berger battle it out with true twin guitar interplay reminiscent of Iron Maiden.

In all a solid release for Ghost, who I look forward to hearing from in the near future.

Ray Paul

Official homepage: www.ghosttheband.com