Interview by Kris Peters
Topping their last self-titled album was always going to be difficult for Californian metalcore outfit The Ghost Inside after it was named one of Loudwire's Best Rock and Metal Albums of 2020. The accolade was richly deserved for a band who have been through more lows than most, but despite sometimes insurmountable odds have always let their music do the talking.
Merging metalcore's proficiency with the frenetic urgency of punk rock, The Ghost Inside have always had an aura of familiarity mixed with chaotic schizophrenia that has allowed them to connect with audiences on a global scale. But on their new album Searching For Solace, the five-piece metal machine have raised the bar upwards once more.
Blending definitive characters of their music - honesty, vulnerability, the message, and the melody - with darker themes and expansive sonic landscapes, Searching For Solace is the perfect footprint on the journey of a band who have already proved that passion, resilience and perseverance can guide you through any setbacks.
With a little help from music, of course.
HEAVY sat down with the whole band - vocalist Jonathan Vigil, guitarists Zach Johnson and Chris Davis, bassist Jim Riley, and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk - to chat about the new album and life within The Ghost Inside.
"It's very exciting, man. We've been sitting on it for a while now," Vigil enthused about album release day. "So it's nice to see it come to fruition and see it out in the world and see people's reactions and stuff. It's exciting."
We ask the band to tell us more about the musicality on Searching For Solace.
"We feel like with the self-titled we really stuck with like The Ghost Inside formula," Riley answered. "(we) Didn't take any chances there. That record was very clear what the objective was, kind of like long before we went into it. It was going to be the band's comeback record. Lyrical themes were all there right from the beginning. And this time, I think we just felt a lot more freedom."
In the full interview, The Ghost Inside discussed their newly released album Searching for Solace and the creative process behind it. They talk about collaborating with multiple producers to explore different creative avenues and avoid limiting themselves to one specific sound. The band members also expressed their excitement for the upcoming Parkway Drive arena tour in Australia, highlighting the line-up of bands and the significance of the tour for the Australian music scene. They discussed their determination to define themselves without external influence, and their eagerness to play for both existing fans and new audiences.