Marrying the technical proficiency of American metalcore’s new wave with the urgency of modern punk, The Ghost Inside have boldly risen in the face of adversity.
Formed in El Segundo, California two decades ago, since their 2008 debut, Fury and the Fallen Ones, The Ghost Inside have been blazing a furious trail in the metal world. Melodic, driving, and blisteringly heavy, their blend of metalcore virtuosity, hardcore brutality and confronting vocals – courtesy of frontman Jonathan Vigil – have long marked them as a force to be reckoned with.
A cocktail consisting of one part honesty, one part aggression, and one part passion, the five-piece confidently hit their stride on 2010’s Returners. Darker, heavier and instantly identifiable, the group vocal-led ‘Unspoken’ and the roaring camaraderie of ‘Between The Lines’ distinguished The Ghost Inside as a unique outfit in the scene, honing their skills on the road with Bring Me The Horizon, The Devil Wears Prada and Parkway Drive.
Pushing the envelope for heavy music with meaning, the Californian’s made their breakthrough with 2012’s Get What You Give. Produced by A Day To Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon and released via the band’s new label home at Epitaph, between face-crushing breakdowns and throat-shredding screams, its twelve tracks documented that anguish of addiction (‘Engine 45’) and grief (‘White Light’). Asserting a spirit of overcoming that would come to define them, The Ghost Inside became a band dead-set on forward motion. Pioneering a guitar tone that would see them catch the envy of many of their peers and successfully incorporating clean vocals into their sound, the quintet’s fearlessness to dwell on difficult emotions saw them cut through the stone-faced facade of the modern metal scene.
A summer-long run on the Vans Warped Tour seeing The Ghost Inside become one of the biggest names in the heavy music world, their unique positive-outlook standing proud in a scene often marked by pessimism, 2014 album, Dear Youth, marked a defiant creative rebirth. Laden with groovy bass riffs and orchestral movements, the band ventured into territory yet unexplored, conquering each new endeavour. With ‘Out Of Control’ serving as an outcry against the epidemic of hate in today’s society, and ‘Wide Eyed’ featuring a soulful vocal cameo from Jason Aalon Butler (letlive., Fever 333), whilst delivering their most bone-crushing breakdowns to date, the band cemented their status as scene pioneers.
Parting ways with founding member and lead guitarist Aaron Brooks in early 2015, leaving Vigil as the last remaining original member in their lineup, their journey was soon struck by tragedy. The band's tour bus was involved in a fatal crash in November 2015, with Vigil, guitarist Zach Johnson, and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk hospitalised in critical condition. Suffering life-changing injuries and putting the band’s future into question, as they embarked on a long, unpredictable recovery period, the scene rallied around them. Support for all they had built never wavering, their miraculous 2019 comeback show at Los Angeles’ The Shrine sold out in just four minutes.
Their self-titled album, arriving the following year, marked a return to form. A record of hope and catharsis during times of adversity, it channelled the pummelling spirit of Returners with a newfound sense of gratitude. Its artwork comprised of images of fans’ tattoos dedicated to the band, album five brought a message of triumph over tragedy, offering up a blueprint for fans to navigate their own trauma.
Fixated on growth, The Ghost Inside’s latest album, Searching For Solace, is a tribute to their past, present, and future. A band whose spirit refuses to be broken, right now the Californian metalcore heroes are at their most urgent. Overcoming their strife with the chest-beating momentum of ‘Death Grip’ and masterfully crafted metal ballads (‘Cityscapes’, ‘Wash It Away’), the quintet’s latest chapter is one of perseverance. Their live show gripped by an unparalleled emotional intensity; in 2024, The Ghost Inside are celebrating all that it means to be alive.