The Nameless is back with his impersonal band – Ghost Bath brings a new soundtrack for the darkness of summer. If you feel a kind of disdain for the too many hours of sunshine in the upcoming weeks, then this might be the soundtrack for your recluse in solitudinous wait. Rose Thorn Necklace is a step in a slightly different direction but it is still indubitably Ghost Bath. Never mind the red.
A record like Rose Thorn Necklace and the man behind it should not be taken lightly. Or seriously. Indifferently. The latter would be just unfair when considering the process (more on that later); the first would be too disrespectful as this is not a fun-cover-band; “seriously” would be not personal enough, too much weight on the ideas of the Nameless. So, let’s explain the process behind the new record first: The Nameless returned from what he coined the worst tour of his life and went straight into recluse as usual when he is not on the road. The writing period was disgustingly intense as he also went beyond and recorded and re-recorded the parts until they seemed to make sense. When showing them to his drummer, he was left alone because the former man behind the kit didn’t “feel” the songs. As this was nothing new to him, the Nameless continued down his downtrodden path and created an immense amount of material – there seem to be some more records already pre-arranged. During this period of time, he would work on the record for 12 to 16 hours daily; and as that didn’t help he drank himself blind, before going on the same vicious cycle again. Hence, to think of this record indifferently is just unfair to the sickening time behind its creation.
“Lightly” might at first glance be somewhat justified as there are moments on the new record that seem nearly poppy – take the, in a strange way, catchy piano line behind the veil in ”Vodka Butterfly” which is accompanied by a (as it seems) synth-harmony of little beautiful miniature-explosions: Accompanied by a seemingly easy song structure that creates for a really accessible song. But when the Ghost Bath-like signature sobs and despaired shrieks set in, the whole thing kicks into a whole otherworldly realm. Similar to the sobs that end LOA’s debut River Runs Red one witnesses the moment of utter unconsolable sadness, the moment of realization that someone is lost and gone forever. That the momentarily remaining warmth of the body is soon to vanish into the stiffness of death eternal. One will have to dig deep to discover all the little minute elements behind this track like the short shift of dynamics moments before the sobs set it. These tiny details will probably have taken a very long time and many people will not listen carefully enough, but a song like that needs these little things to round it off. The next track, ”Stamen and Pistil” is another good example for the definite dichotomy between the quirky music – the synth-intro is slowly pushed back into the sonics to remain there to serve as a second beat – and the content is very important: ”I’ll taste your pale skin if you show me your scars / Smile with sad eyes our intentions aligned / Laugh about fucking and picking our scabs / Inhaling black hair sprawled out on the bed / Lust painted lips and suicide whispers”. The connection between leaving and sex, suicide and love is always-present in the Nameless’ work and it is much more than your everyday extreme BDSM fantasy. Hence, when listening to songs like these, please do not laugh at them, the topic is too difficult and personal for many people, including the Nameless.
But also do not take these songs or also melancholic laments like the piano interlude ”Needles” or the folksy-intro’ed ”Thinly Sliced Heart Muscle” too seriously. There is nothing to be “desired” here, there is not wish to appeal to certain individuals or groups. This is a rallying cry for the outsiders of the world to follow in the footsteps of these protagonists – also because this is the Nameless’ second album outside of the Moonlover – Starmourner – Self Loather-trilogy and also not a sequel to the Funeral-record – this is what the Nameless came up with after the pandemic and after aforementioned worst tour of his life. His position and ideas, thoughts and feelings – not directly yours or ours for his position is unique just like everybody else’s is. You can read into these songs whatever you want to – just do not pretend that this is what the Nameless wants you to think, see or do. Some might call this carelessness on his behalf, others will counter with the idea of self-determination and that is also the most important thing to say when it comes to this topic. One should not take this record at face-value for some of the lyrical content is just too grotesque, too close to a romantic, gothic version of Death Metal (maybe this is Death</i> Metal?) but if this amazing record is what comes “out of” the Nameless during such a period of his life then, I’m sorry, I cannot wait for the other songs he wrote and simultaneously recorded, re-wrote and re-recorded. Probably the catchiest DSBM record this year – as if the Nameless cared about my verdict. Neither should you.
