Wraith Of The Ropes ‘Ada’ CD 2005

A two piece hailing from the US, one of the members is E.M.Hearst the man behind Torture Wheel. Released on Total Rust, a new and interesting label, who in there own words are dedicated to ‘Extreme Music’ with a strong focus on ‘Extreme Doom’. The location of the label is quite unique, with the home of Total Rust being Jerusalem. Anyway judging by the news on their site, a label to watch out for!

Wraith of the Ropes describe their music as ‘horror metal’ with the material being more about the dark atmospheres and textures it creates. The main crux of the music is in the Funeral Doom vein due to the heavy and slow riffing and minimal drumming. But a different, eerie feel is given to the music by the use of keyboards and samples. The vocals through out add greatly to the unsettled nature of the music and sound a lot like Ghosts vocal on the GGFH spinechiller ‘One Colour Red’. I think the same effect must have been employed. I think it’s fair to say that the early horror of GGFH can be heard and felt throughout this dark recording.

My fave track is an instrumental entitled ‘Snow Dragon’ which is a beautifully majestic keyboard passage, helped along by various effects and nicely minimal, distant drumming. The sorta thing Goblin might create in the dreadful hours. Limited to 1000 copies and available from the band and label, this is a dark and despond CD laced with the creeping horror of early GGFH.

Label: Totalrust Music
Website: N/A

Scribed by: Mark Burns