Ghostemane Makes Years-Anticipated Return with “ZERO DAY”
Image via Instagram
Ghostemane is officially back! The name might ring a bell if you, like me, were deep into his mega-heavy goth-rap about six years ago, but the reclusive artist out of West Palm Beach, FL has called all old fans back to the scene with his first release in years, ZERO DAY. Though his iconic stark-white hair is cut to chin-length, and uber-heavy 808 sub-bass swapped for grinding guitar distortion, Ghoste's rage-filled explosive lyrics and unique vocal style(s) are exactly as they were in his last album, 2020's ANTI-ICON.
A more metal influenced sound is not unfamiliar for Ghoste, aka Eric Whitney, as he made a few black metal projects under the name Baader-Meinhof, but under the "Ghostemane" moniker, his music has been much more rap-influenced until now, and the punk sound of ZERO DAY is new to him, at least in this volume. A punk ideology has been throughout his lyrics, however, so it fits perfectly with Whitney's previous image.
Image via Instagram
As for the song itself, it is exactly what an old fan would expect from a "Ghostemane Punk Song". Whitney alternates between a creaky vocal-fry, a high-pitched monotone rap, and a more traditional high-shout. His lyrical focus on the occult is much less present, though the iconography surrounding the music video, with a new-look version of his old occult logo at the end, suggests this won't fully be left by the wayside, but the dark, esoteric vibe mixed with unexpected references is still there, like with the lyric "In the back, masked up with the trench on/ Jet black, eyes red like I'm Mi'Thrawn". Oblique Star Wars references aside, the rage expected from both artist and genre is present in spades with the repeated chant of "I see everybody screamin' ‘fuck this’ and ‘fuck that’/Well, now it's time to do something about it, something violent", but a more mature take on the punk ideology is also represented with "Protect the house and feed the mouths the way I was never fed" showing a community focus that is just as key to being a punk as anti-authority anger.
Overall, Ghostemane's new single shows a remarkable development in sound while keeping his singular identity intact. If you're nostalgic for Ghostemane's dark, goth-influenced rapping, you'll be fully satisfied; if a punk explosion with varigeated vocals is something that interests you, you'll absolutely love this song regardless. The song's merits are fully enough to interest people unfamiliar with the artist, but if you are, I can personally say that it is a wonderful harbinger of things to come.
And for those disappointed that the single is only two and a half minutes, there is good news. The music video was filmed during two free shows in Texas at the start of the month, which also included unreleased songs "ALIVE!", "DEUS EX MACHINA", and "MIAZMA", and with a new album promised to come out "before GTA 6" in March, things are looking good for the starved fans out there.
Image via Reddit, credit u/forgottenpup
