Lately, I didn't give modern nu-metal a chance, in fact, I didn't even know it existed. I was a teenager in the mid to late 90s, nu-metal spoke out to a pretty broken-up kid. Let's take this back to a time when Jncos and Coal Chamber shirts got you beat up, a great time! I was old enough to realize I could outcast myself and become a ghost, that's how I spent my teens, a ghost. Now, look at me, writing reviews for friends I have made along the way. It's pretty unbelievable.
A few months ago our good friends from XIII released a new full-length album called Black Ghost. Let's just start by saying this has a little bit for everyone. A powerful force backed by a drum machine and some of the hardest beats I've heard in modern metal bands of any type. This album takes you on a pretty wild ride through catchy synth sounds, and screaming your lungs out. It's full of melody and catchy rhythm all timed appropriately. You can definitely hear the bands that helped inspire them throughout their work. There are hints of everything from Deftones to Gojira. As quickly as it pounds out brutal drum beats and bellowing screams, it can turn quiet with fantastic vocals. This album all around has something for everyone. No matter who you are I bet there's at least one song on this album to get your blood pumping.
In the end, I listen to this album a lot while I write, it inspires another side of me, a much younger side of me that I thought was lost forever. I will forever carry the cross of a "Mall metal" kid, it was me though, I was happy, and whenever I forget who I am, I put an album like Black Ghost on and fade into a safer place. Songs like Dark Cloud and the title track Black Ghost hit the hardest for me. I love being taken on a ride of elevated music that can also calm you back down.
You can help support the band on any streaming platform and also at their bandcamp page at
You can also visit their merch store for everything including soap at
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