Not your average bear, founded on a love of guitar-less metal noise and groove, Ghastly Sound have announced themselves with this self-titled taster EP (Magnetic Eye). Formed by old friends, bass and drum duo TJ Maynard and Ryan Lewis, while the EP, four songs in thirteen minutes, is the sound of a band finding a starting point for their musical endeavours, it shows plenty of promise.

‘The Worst’ flies off the grid all Stoner-meets-Hardcore, planting a seed of Every Time I Die in the mind while introducing two distinct vocal styles from the versatile Tyler Gurwicz. While the cleans are a bit nondescript on the opener, they come into their own the more the EP progresses, and are mixed up with more regular throat-battery. ‘Where The Ghosts Hide’ introduces the complicated inflections of a Mastodon and is where the cleans start to do their job with understated hook.

Next up, the metallic bass rumbles as ‘Cape Buffalo’ staggers in, and it’s the first time you really notice there are no guitars – the bass is full, distorted, utilized in a different way to normal and perfectly natural as a sonic fill, and closer ‘Cuttlefish’ broods and indulges Gurwicz’ Chino Moreno worship.

Sitting somewhere between Stoner and modern Hardcore, with elements of Progressive Metal (Progressive Stonercore, anyone?! – jk), despite a name that conjures thoughts of a Spanish raw and br00tal crust deff metulz band, the Ghastly guys may well have hit on a concoction that will bear juicy fruit next time around.

7.0/10

STEVE TOVEY