Discovery of the Week: Ghost Brigade
Heavy melancholy and dark atmosphere of Finnish post-metal: the story of Ghost Brigade
It all started in 2005 in the Finnish city of Jyväskylä. According to the band members, at that time, Ghost Brigade was more like a temporary project for musicians who had already found their footing in the music scene earlier. The lineup of Ghost Brigade included musicians from the melodic death metal band Sons of Aeon, the stoner metal band Sunride, and the death metal band Paraxism.
Ghost Brigade got their name by accident. Bassist Janne Julin and Manne Ikonen were returning home after another rehearsal, tossing around possible word combinations until Julin mentioned that he wanted to use the word “ghost” in the title. Once at home, Ikonen was listening to the song “Snow Brigade” by the Danish band Mew and felt inspired by the combination of the words “ghost” and “brigade,” after which he proposed this option to the rest of the band.
Ghost Brigade got their name by accident. Bassist Janne Julin and Manne Ikonen were returning home after another rehearsal, tossing around possible word combinations until Julin mentioned that he wanted to use the word “ghost” in the title. Once at home, Ikonen was listening to the song “Snow Brigade” by the Danish band Mew and felt inspired by the combination of the words “ghost” and “brigade,” after which he proposed this option to the rest of the band.
The idea caught on, and the band's name has remained unchanged ever since. The musicians continued gathering until they realized they had written enough material.
In an interview with the Metal Storm portal, vocalist Manne Ikonen explained that he did not know what on earth had happened, but suddenly everything became serious, and they noticed they had a lot of good songs, so they absolutely needed to at least make a demo and see what would happen next.
The idea to record a demo turned out to be a massive success: Ghost Brigade received offers from four labels at once, with the first one arriving less than twenty-four hours after the demo was posted online. Thus, just a year after its formation, Ghost Brigade transformed from a passion project into something much bigger.
Ghost Brigade released their debut album, titled Guided By Fire, in 2007. It was the band's first album to feature Aleksi Munter, the keyboardist of the melodic death metal band Swallow The Sun, and the only one to feature a guest appearance by Fredrik Nordin, the vocalist of the stoner metal band Dozer. To promote the album, the band went on a tour across Finland with Insomnium between April and October 2007.
Two years later, the band released their second album, titled Isolation Songs.
Regarding the album, rhythm guitarist Ville Naukkarinen explained that they had several different working titles, but Isolation Songs was the one everyone agreed on. He recalled reading the lyrics right before they went into the studio to come up with a title, and the word “isolation” came to his mind several times.
Naukkarinen noted that while the songs themselves did not address this directly, he believed the feeling of isolation served as the inspiration or driving force for at least some of the lyrics. He concluded by expressing his hope that people would enjoy these songs as much as the band did once they got the chance to hear them.
Despite the fact that the album was positively received by music critics, Ghost Brigade still did not aim for the commercial success of their released material.
Speaking to the V13 portal, guitarist Tommi Kiviniemi explained that if you start worrying about commercial success, it becomes impossible to create music with an open heart. He noted that such thoughts would exert pressure and block the ability to do what you truly want. Therefore, they simply focused on recording a new album and making it better than their debut. He added that their record label, Season of Mist, did not put any commercial pressure on them either, which, in his opinion, was a near-perfect situation.
Following the release of the album Isolation Songs, the band went on tour as an opening act for Amorphis.
The band's third album appeared just two years later, with Until Fear No Longer Defines Us being released in August 2011. Unfortunately, two years after that, changes began within the band as one of the founders, bassist Janne Julin, left Ghost Brigade. A new keyboardist also joined the team. With this lineup, Ghost Brigade recorded their fourth full-length record, IV: One with the Storm, which was released in 2014. In December of the following year, the band announced an indefinite hiatus on their site.
In early November 2019, Ghost Brigade announced the resumption of their creative activities and scheduled a concert at the Tanssisali Lutakko venue for April 10, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these performances were first postponed to August and then completely canceled.
In late August 2020, Ghost Brigade announced the complete cessation of their activities. In their final address to fans, the band explained their decision by stating that the previous spring, they were supposed to briefly return from their hiatus to play two shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of their home venue, Lutakko. However, just a few weeks before the scheduled dates, the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly hit the world. The concerts were postponed, and by the summer, it became clear that due to the ongoing pandemic, they would not take place at the end of the year either. The band noted that since no one knew how much time would pass before such large events could be organized again, they decided it was best to cancel all performances. They then sat down to discuss the future of the band, and it turned out that while most of them were eager to move forward and write new music, not everyone shared that desire. Consequently, it became clear that under the circumstances, they had no choice but to put the band to rest.
In an interview with the Metal Storm portal, vocalist Manne Ikonen explained that he did not know what on earth had happened, but suddenly everything became serious, and they noticed they had a lot of good songs, so they absolutely needed to at least make a demo and see what would happen next.
The idea to record a demo turned out to be a massive success: Ghost Brigade received offers from four labels at once, with the first one arriving less than twenty-four hours after the demo was posted online. Thus, just a year after its formation, Ghost Brigade transformed from a passion project into something much bigger.
Ghost Brigade released their debut album, titled Guided By Fire, in 2007. It was the band's first album to feature Aleksi Munter, the keyboardist of the melodic death metal band Swallow The Sun, and the only one to feature a guest appearance by Fredrik Nordin, the vocalist of the stoner metal band Dozer. To promote the album, the band went on a tour across Finland with Insomnium between April and October 2007.
Two years later, the band released their second album, titled Isolation Songs.
Regarding the album, rhythm guitarist Ville Naukkarinen explained that they had several different working titles, but Isolation Songs was the one everyone agreed on. He recalled reading the lyrics right before they went into the studio to come up with a title, and the word “isolation” came to his mind several times.
Naukkarinen noted that while the songs themselves did not address this directly, he believed the feeling of isolation served as the inspiration or driving force for at least some of the lyrics. He concluded by expressing his hope that people would enjoy these songs as much as the band did once they got the chance to hear them.
Despite the fact that the album was positively received by music critics, Ghost Brigade still did not aim for the commercial success of their released material.
Speaking to the V13 portal, guitarist Tommi Kiviniemi explained that if you start worrying about commercial success, it becomes impossible to create music with an open heart. He noted that such thoughts would exert pressure and block the ability to do what you truly want. Therefore, they simply focused on recording a new album and making it better than their debut. He added that their record label, Season of Mist, did not put any commercial pressure on them either, which, in his opinion, was a near-perfect situation.
Following the release of the album Isolation Songs, the band went on tour as an opening act for Amorphis.
The band's third album appeared just two years later, with Until Fear No Longer Defines Us being released in August 2011. Unfortunately, two years after that, changes began within the band as one of the founders, bassist Janne Julin, left Ghost Brigade. A new keyboardist also joined the team. With this lineup, Ghost Brigade recorded their fourth full-length record, IV: One with the Storm, which was released in 2014. In December of the following year, the band announced an indefinite hiatus on their site.
In early November 2019, Ghost Brigade announced the resumption of their creative activities and scheduled a concert at the Tanssisali Lutakko venue for April 10, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these performances were first postponed to August and then completely canceled.
In late August 2020, Ghost Brigade announced the complete cessation of their activities. In their final address to fans, the band explained their decision by stating that the previous spring, they were supposed to briefly return from their hiatus to play two shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of their home venue, Lutakko. However, just a few weeks before the scheduled dates, the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly hit the world. The concerts were postponed, and by the summer, it became clear that due to the ongoing pandemic, they would not take place at the end of the year either. The band noted that since no one knew how much time would pass before such large events could be organized again, they decided it was best to cancel all performances. They then sat down to discuss the future of the band, and it turned out that while most of them were eager to move forward and write new music, not everyone shared that desire. Consequently, it became clear that under the circumstances, they had no choice but to put the band to rest.
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer