by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media (released 2023).
Bear Ghost, out of Phoenix Arizona, are a very unique high energy trio (nuclear at times)-- a catchy mix of melodic and intricate thrashiness, pop, punk, rock, theatrical and prog. One outstanding feature of this band is the guitarist/vocalist, Ryan Abel who is a singing powerhouse, slightly reminiscent of Freddy Mercury of Queen. In fact I'd be very surprised if at least someone in this band isn't a huge Queen fan.
This band is relentlessly tight- just watch one of the live shows on YouTube (or better yet, in person as they are touring). Andrew Heath plays bass and backs up on vocals, and Myke Buttonz in on drums (is that a real name? My auto-correct hated it). There's some additional instrumentations on the album like trumpet, violin, piano, keyboards, ukulele, glockenspiels and other incidentals sprinkled here and there, plus some lovely female vocals.
Bear Ghost's music has a fun and irresistible quality (I doubt there's anyone out there who wouldn't be tempted to sing along in the 'la la la la la' parts on the album's opening track). I noticed in a live video of the band that the audiences sing loudly along with the band on stage and in effect become part of the performance.
Humour, and to a degree, silliness, is on full display in the band, and without any of those downer irreverence vibes. No, this music is uplifting and can even be triumphant. The final track 'Vulture' is passionate and emotional, and the only 'slow song' on the album, and it's damn good as well. In fact, that's my only 'complaint' about the album- I'd like to hear some more slow songs by the band- just to balance it out a bit, but that's coming from an older music-fan dad dude. (Please note: there's a bonus track at the end of my CD which features an acoustic guitar/vocal song- beautiful!)
Some of the songs would be great in Scooby Doo cartoons during the monster chase segments. I hope that doesn't sound mean- I actually LOVE Scooby Doo (some of the remakes are better than others). Props on the album graphics too.
Bear Ghost are so out-of-the-ordinary they may have pioneered a new category of music, a term which they have all around their website and Facebook pages: "Adventure Rock." Prog dog scores this "Adventure Rock" album a more than respectable 4 bones out of 5. (*The score may go up- I like to reserve the right to do this over time if albums soak further into my soul).
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