DOOM PUNK AND METAL IS HAVING A WEE BIT OF A RESURGENCE AT THE MOMENT...FROM ABERDEEN TO ADELAIDE THE SCENE IS RIDING HIGH ON THE CREST OF A MUTATED WAVE OF TOXIC BRILLIANCE and MELBOURNE'S GHOSTSMOKER ARE AT POINT BREAK...
Ghostsmoker are doom metal merchants from Melbourne, Australia. Since the release of their debut EP (Grief), they’ve been steadily honing their craft and have followed it up with two fantastic singles (Incarnateand more recently Elogium). They screech, wail and swagger like they’ve been doing this for time, but are, in fact, pretty new to the rock universe. We recently tracked them down for the lowdown on one of the hottest properties in rock! Let’s meet the Ghostsmokers…
How’s it going?
Going good man, releasing new music and playing shows has certainly lifted the spirits a bit!
What first drew each of you to the doom metal scene?
Nathan (Vocals): I really started to pay attention to the doom scene around the time I joined the band in 2021. Of course I’d dabbled in the genre in the past, but now I was looking for inspiration and I didn’t have to look far. Melbourne has so many incredible doom bands, both current and now inactive.
Ben (Guitars): The amazing amount of world class doom metal bands in Melbourne.
Rhys (Bass): The sheer quality of bands in the local scene as well as how welcoming everyone is. Every doom show in Melbourne feels like a family reunion.
Brayden (Drums): The general feeling among those that want to stretch the genre with their own source of creativity. It’s a genre that allows the artist to have their own voice inflicted on the musical space. We’re lucky here to have so many awesome, inspiring people who express themselves so well.
Can you tell us about the early days of the band? How did you all meet?
Our guitarist Ben, and original drummer John had been jamming off and on for the better part of a year before the band officially formed. In 2021 they posted on a local musician group on Facebook looking for a vocalist, and had tried a few that didn’t work out. Nathan responded to the post, and joined soon after in September 2021.
Rhys and Brayden are in a sick Melbourne doom band called Kvll, and we’d done a couple of gigs with them, and were blown away by their connection and musicianship. Over the period of about 6 months our drummer and bassist departed the band, so we were on the hunt for replacements and decided to ask Rhys and Brayden. The current lineup was formed in January 2024. The band name is just something Ben and John (original drummer) thought sounded cool at the time and it’s stuck ever since.
What’s the local Melbourne scene like for doom metal bands? Are there many other bands you’re friends with or collaborate with?
The Melbourne doom scene has some insanely good bands such as Mammon’s Throne, Isua, Kvll, Giant, Whitehorse.. to name a few, and we’ve played multiple shows and shared multiple beers with all of them.
What (if anything) do you draw from Melbourne’s landscape or culture in your music?
Melbourne’s grittiness and diversity are certain cool things to draw upon and probably do indirectly help with the writing process. I know for me (Nathan) I find the best time to write lyrics is on a gloomy, cold, miserable Melbourne day.
How has the sound of the band evolved since the Grief EP?
Our EP, Grief, is probably a bit more stoner doom influenced, and we wrote it and recorded it within 4 months of the band forming, so perhaps it was a little rushed. It was only meant to be something cool for us to say “this exists and we did it”. We’ve now got new members in the band, and as such, the sound has evolved. Inertia Cult explores a darker, more ambient side, and we’ve dialled up the heaviness as well.
What’s your song writing process like? Do you typically start with a riff, lyrics, or something else?
To use an old expression, we believe that too many cooks spoil the broth. Ben will generally write the songs on guitar first, presenting the rest of the band with the “skeleton” of a song. That gives the rest of us structure, and we all start pitching our ideas and demoing our ideas out a bit more. We then get into the jam room and start fleshing the song out until we’re all happy.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both in doom metal and outside of it?
Biggest influences for the band within the genre are bands such as Conan, Thou, Primitive Man, Bongripper etc. Some of the more atmospheric parts of our sound are influenced by horror and sci-fi soundtracks. As kids of the 80’s and 90’s, that lo-fi aesthetic is deeply ingrained in us, so that has managed to find its way in here and there.
How do you approach balancing heavy riffs with melody in your music?
That’s the challenge! It’s a balancing act, and we try to write songs where each section services a purpose. The more lo-fi ambient parts are there to build tension and suspense, and in our mind, if you drag that on for too long it defeats the purpose. We want the pay off to be something that you can bang your head to. Thematically, our EP and the upcoming record is about grieving untimely loss. The new record is more of a conversation between someone who is very much alive, and someone in their final moments of life. Conversations that should have been had while both were alive.
Would you dance with the devil?
Yeah sure, but only in the pale moonlight.
What’s the live scene like in Melbourne for doom bands, and how does your live show differ from your studio recordings?
The live scene in Melbourne for doom bands is going strong! We’ve played some pretty incredible shows that have had mostly full rooms, so there’s definitely an appetite for it here. Our live show is a lot louder, more abrasive, and about a hundred times sweatier than our recordings for sure, though we’ve done our best to capture our live sound in the recordings, especially the upcoming record.
What’s the reaction been like when you play outside of Melbourne? Any notable tours or gigs coming up?
As much as we love Melbourne, some of our best shows have been outside of Melbourne. We recently did a small tour and visited Sydney and Adelaide, and both of those shows were unreal. We met so many awesome people who love heavy music, and shared their enthusiasm for what we’re doing and excitement for the new record. 2025 is going to be a big year for us, with touring the album, supporting Pallbearer and Conan in March, and some yet to be announced festivals in Brisbane and Adelaide.
Is there a particular song in your setlist that’s your favourite to perform live? Why?
For me (Nathan) my favourite song to perform live is Incarnate. It probably elicits the most energetic response from the audience, and vocally is pretty challenging for me but also super rewarding, and musically it’s pretty crushing and bleak.
What are your plans for the band in the next few years? Any new projects or collaborations on the horizon?
We’ve got an album coming out in about a month, so we’ll tour that and see what opportunities arise from that. We’re also already starting to write for the next release, and will take a bit of time away from performing live to get some new songs finished. Our goal is to tour overseas in the next few years, whether that be in Japan, Europe, or the US. It would be unreal to land some of the bigger festivals, we’ll see!
Finally, what do you hope listeners take away from your music, whether it’s an emotional experience or a particular message?
We hope listeners take whatever they want out of listening to our music, whether they love it or despise it, we’re just appreciative of the fact that they gave us their time, which we’ve learned is extremely precious.
