Following a near fatal accident in their tour bus, metalcore band The Ghost Inside took a much needed break from the music scene but now they're back. Conor McCloskey has the story.
Metalcore veterans The Ghost Inside have begun releasing new music for the first time since late 2014, following a devastating accident. Since their formation in 2004, they have dominated the metal scene and have now made a triumphant return, starting with the release of Aftermath, a single which came out on April 22nd .
The Ghost Inside established themselves in the Los Angeles metalcore scene under their original name, A Dying Dream, and became known for their blend of metalcore with strong melody and razor-sharp breakdowns. Alongside LA band Letlive, featuring Jason Butler of the Fever 333, The Ghost Inside broke out of their hometown and became a worldwide success, all the while staying true to their musical roots (including a nostalgic collaboration with Butler on their 2014 track Wide Eyed).
Their success met a major road block however as in the early hours of November 19th 2015, all five members of the band were involved in a head-on collision in their tour bus with another vehicle. Both drivers were killed and everyone else was injured, most notably vocalist Jonathan Vigil who fractured his back, and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk, who ended up in a ten-day coma and had his leg amputated.
Following three years of recovery and rehabilitation, the band announced they had held their first rehearsal since the accident. In July of 2019, they returned to their native LA to play a sold-out show. Their new track, ‘Aftermath’, was released without announcement on April 22nd . Despite their long hiatus and the changing sound of many similar metalcore bands such as, A Day to Remember and Bring Me the Horizon in the time since the crash, The Ghost Inside have stayed true to their own style of music, which is just as heavy and melodic as it was before the accident.
The band’s lyrics have always contained themes of strength and overcoming adversity, as illustrated perfectly in their 2014 track ‘Mercy’. These themes are as present as ever on this new track, but perhaps with a new sense of sincerity. As the track develops, themes of struggle and acceptance are introduced, which is a welcome maturation.
The music video for Aftermath opens with footage from a news report announcing the accident, which sets the tone for both the track and video. From there, it consists of standard footage of the band performing on stage, alongside their vocalist who is seen standing by the desert road where the accident occurred. The highlight of this video has to be during the song’s bridge, where footage of each member performing onstage is shown alongside footage of them in recovery.
This track is an excellent and faithful example of who The Ghost Inside have always been and continue to be. The melodies are catchy, the breakdowns are powerful, and the lyrics are more meaningful than ever. Throughout this challenging global pandemic, we all may be able to learn something from the story of this band through their perseverance. The track is the first from an upcoming self-titled album, which is expected to be released on June 5th of this year, and just yesterday the band put out another killer single, titled Pressure Point.