Join Bloody Disgusting’s Boo Crew Podcast as we explore the world of Ghostemane, in celebration of the release of his brand new 8th album, ANTI-ICON.
This new work is an alchemic exploration of elements that include everything from black metal, trap, noisecore and industrial to forge something astonishingly unique. He has ventured to the extremes and most visceral elements of artistic expression, those which exist shrouded in mystery and darkness, combined it with a hermetic fury steeped in ancient secrets, and has emerged as this guide to that underworld. As we plunge into this black obsidian mirror, the lyrics whisper an intense hope, amidst the chaos and frenetic attack of the churches he continues to build through sound. The experience is at once, absolutely terrifying, shockingly vulnerable and blissfully assuring.
ANTI-ICON uses the negative space in a similar way to horror film creators like Mike Flanagan, with its own hidden ghosts. Each track purposefully loaded with its own scares and unpredictable sonic experiences around every corner. It’s an unsettling and stunning listen.
“I’m obsessed with the juxtaposition between the loudest most abrasive, immersive noise, coupled with digital silence..and those two playing with each other and battling. Neither really wins because they have to coexist -you can’t have one without the other. I don’t believe that you need to wait ’til the end of a song to get that breather. The silence is prepping you for what’s to come. It gives you a moment where you almost feel safe..and then…you’re not. You get a little anxious..then it’s over and it’s like, wow I want more of that. Like a scary movie or a haunted house experience.”
Ghostemane finds his muse in visual art, between the pages of books including hermeticism and occult works – and film.
“David Lynch is my God I think in that respect,” he explains. “Blue Velvet is something that Arthur (Rizk – producer) put me on to while we were recording and then the next day I wrote the track ASMR and it sort of just kind of came right from that – speaking from the viewpoint of that psychopath Frank Booth – something that he would indulge in. David Cronenberg. The Cell is another one that I watched in the album cycle. That is the movie version of what I want my songs to be kind of where it’s just like, trippy, sort of industrial, hellscapes and surrealism all over. Dark City is another one that I watched shortly before writing some of the lyrics. It’s a really underrated film too, definitely one of my favorites.”
He is also a huge fan of Damien Leone’s 2016 slasher, Terrifier.
“Elevated, sorta like 80’s b-movie stuff with no CGI and all practical effects and an awesome score… that’s my recipe for an amazing movie.”
Ghostemane has been instilling an incredibly evolved cinematic approach to his music videos. Most recently, it has found him diving head first into the world of stop motion animation, colliding it with 2D cartoons that look as though they were pulled out of the 1920’s.
“It really gets the message across I think artistically and it just feels more in line with the music. The music isn’t conventional and I don’t think it needs conventional visuals to along with it. AI (video below) was us just kind of wanting it to take it to the next level.” As for plans to open that world up even further, “Absolutely man. There’s more coming already. I don’t know how much I can say about what the next thing is but it’s definitely more expansive and immersive. It’s going to be next level. I’m super happy for how it’s coming along. It’s gonna be great.”
For more with Ghostemane including his admiration of Panos Cosmatos and Richard Stanley, his creative process, astrology, the occult and his new album ANTI-ICON, hang with us on The Boo Crew Podcast Episode 172. Available now on Apple, Spotify and everywhere you get your podcasts!
Follow Ghostemane on:
Instagram: @ghostemane
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Instagram: @talesfromtheboocrew
Twitter: @talesfromtheboo