Finnish group Ghost Brigade is by far one of the greatest death-doom metal bands to ever hit the air, alongside Evoken. However, their best effort to date is their debut in 2007 entitled "Guided by Fire." It is loaded with powerful and somber musical gloom, and none of it ever runs thin. Starting with the musicianship, the vocals are incredible, the low-tuned singing done in a dissonant harmony, sending chills down the spine with each note they hit. The aggressive roars and screams are also stellar, delivering slow but sure ferocity at the right moments. The guitars play depressive but beauteous melodies all the way through, every one of them sticking to your brain upon listen, backed up by the sluggish but resonant drum patterns acting as a sturdy instrumental framework. The way that the music is organized is so powerful in the build-ups and the peaks is perfect, ensuring that the listener's journey through this release is an enjoyably dark one through how well-constructed it is. Lyrically, not much light is shed in this area, either, with heavy lines such as "This is my hell, go find your own one" that take the depressive sounds into writing. Every aspect of this awesome record is not only emotionally dampened, but it does so much more than hold its ground, and everything clicks into place. This is, without a doubt, one of the best depressive metal releases in history.
