With his eighth studio album in the past six years Eric Whitney (Ghostemane) further adds to the weird, mysterious, and intriguing character and personality that draws in over 3 million monthly Spotify listeners. This record is 36 minutes of genre-fluid passion, which is exactly what he was going for. In the ninth track Whitney says himself that he is, “a genre hopper”. Several tracks off of this album would fit perfectly in a playlist with artists such as, Pouya, and $uicide Boy$, while other tracks on this album you might hear coupled with songs from Marilyn Manson, and Korn. As an artist who has acted as his own label for basically all his career, he knows how to promote himself and gain support from listeners. He proves that with every release he puts out and this was definitely no exception.
On the tracks Vagabond, and Fed Up, Whitney shows us his flow and how well he can play into the rhythm of the songs. The beats on tracks similar to this always put a smile on the faces of those who enjoy that continuous slap in the face that does not let up until the song is over. His signature mixture between very low, lows and screams and screeches is very present in songs like Lazaretto, as well as the hardcore style instruments that finish out songs like AI. This is an album that cannot be confused for anyone else, this is Ghostemane. The filler tracks that are short of two minutes with little to no vocal work are beautiful to the ear and just further give you into the creative genius that is Eric Whitney.
I believe this is his best work yet and it could not come at a better time. Music is keeping a lot of people sane and happy in a time where the world feels like it is falling apart by the second. This album has been getting huge amounts of hype almost the whole year and we are finally being rewarded for our patience with a masterpiece. Music such as this are a look into the future of rap and metal. Artists, take note of the creativity and determination. You do not need to be signed to a major label to be “big” Ghostemane is the prime example of why artists should not lose hope when things are not going good. We are only six years into the career of Ghostemane and if this is any indication of how it will continue to be, then start telling your friends now. Eric Whitney is making his way into the spotlight of popular music and Anti-Icon is going to do nothing other than boost him towards that spotlight.
RATING: 9/10
Authored by: Spencer Davis
Live From The Pit 