SHADE WITHOUT COLOR

Hailing from Debrecen, Hungary, the hilariously named GHOST TOAST has existed now for almost fourteen years originally as a trio but soon would add a keyboard player to craft the band's own version of moody and oft dark progressive rock. In recent years though GHOST TOAST has added more metallic heft to their sound giving them the extra oomf that their melancholic style of prog was looking for. Fast forward to 2022 and these Hungarians release the fifth album SHADE WITHOUT COLOR which sees a change of drumming duties with long time percussionist László Papp leaving and Zoltán Cserős taking over the duties.

Based on a title from the T.S. Elliot poem "The Hollow Men," SHADE WITHOUT COLOR follows the same thematic approach as the previous "Shade Without Form" with the overall thematic subject matter of the feeling of emptiness, incompleteness and that basic hole in your soul got dem cozmic blues subject matter. Like many a modern prog act, GHOST TOAST too wears a lot of influences on its sleeve but i find the most all encompassing is the heavy prog / space rock hybrid approach of classic Porcupine Tree with moody complex atmospheric textures and proggy heavy rock that never strays too far from melodic resolution.

SUN WITHOUT COLOR is a lengthy beast clocking in at over 67 minutes with nine tracks ranging from the six minute range to the longest track "Leaders" finding its way over twelve. Basically what GHOST TOAST delivers on SUN WITHOUT COLOR is a style of prog that offers a post-rock cyclical riffing style of deliver that allows the synthesizers and production to add the subtle nuances. This is also a singing-free album and i say that because while there is no vocalist that sings in the traditional way, there are plenty of vocal samples form narrated clips that are mined from films, books, poems and interviews and randomly pop up. This is perhaps one of the most telling Steven Wilson worship signs of all as the album often sounds like a version of Porcupine Tree's "Lightbulb Sun," the second coming. Likewise there are also some wordless female vocals that pop up from time to time.

The production on SHADE WITHOUT COLOR is flawless with every nuanced slide of notes fading into the perfect pitch and the mixing reaching impeccable heights. The album is also well paced with well placed sustained notes, rich textured atmospheres, keyboard melodic touches and the more hefty metal chugging that has earned GHOST TOAST some crossover appeal for those who love themselves some Riverside, Tool or Russian Circles. The extra icing on the cake is the occasional use of the cello which offers a haunting effect to the soundscapes at hand. This is especially effective on the chilling "Let Me Be No Nearer" which takes on a mellower approach and one of the few tracks that eschews the heavier rock however the cello finds its way into the very fabric of the album's run at key moments.

There's a lot to love on SHADE WITHOUT COLOR but ultimately it leaves me unsatisfied as the Porcupine Tree influences are a bit too obvious with drumming patterns, keyboard chord progressions and the dreamy soundscapes accompanied by spoken word segments. It's just too close to the original source for my ears and i've never really found Steven Wilson influenced projects to resonate with the same veracity as the original source. Somehow Wilson has cornered the market on his stylistic approach and anyone who dares follow in those footsteps just sounds like a clone in many ways. Still though this album isn't just another PT album by any means but the core mixing effects are a bit too close for comfort. All in all this an enjoyable release as there are really no bad tracks but the formula does wear thing by the time i get to the end. A very good album but not something that really gets my juices flowing either.

3.5 rounded down