Geistfight are a ska punk and hardcore band from Guildford. Back in March they released their debut EP named Ruin Or Worse. Stating that they play "a high energy set of head banging breakdowns, killer sax and guitar solos, skanking ska and tons of attitude" this was a release I just had to check out!
There are always a lot of misconceptions in music, one being that all ska music sounds the same. This could not be further from the truth and Geistfight prove this from the opening track, Real Value. Starting out with a super fast sax solo and then a complicated guitar riff the vocals come in, with voices seemingly coming from everywhere. Eventually a main voice comes to the front, reminding me of the mighty Capdown. The track sums up everything Geistfight are as they take us on a ride full of skanking, and big sax and guitar solos with the odd hardcore vocals thrown in for added emphasis. This continues with the following track - The Fine Line. Starting out with a big drum beat and some nice bass lines before some high tempo saxophone playing comes in. The whole track is geared towards some high energy dancing and even when things are slowed down you know they are building up again for a crazy finale. Phenomenal! It has a bit more of a funk rock feel to it, which is much needed after a fast and frantic opening two songs. Despite the mix up of styles I still felt as if Geistfight were taking me on a musical adventure and I was fully engrossed in the song. This is a testament to the high level of musicianship in the band. The tempo is then raised again for the penultimate track Counting Hours. After a rapid fire drum roll the sax comes in and gets you moving again. The song brilliantly jumps between ska and hardcore punk rock again giving you a feeling of not knowing what will be coming next, other than some big energy of course. There is an absolutely fantastic guitar solo in the song as well, giving the song another brilliant dimension. You'd think big guitar solos shouldn't really work in a ska punk song but here it is perfect. Ruin Or Worse is completed with the song True Warriors. I expected the EP to finish with another big, fast in your face ska punk number but instead Geistfight have gone down the route of reggae. Displaying yet another string on an already impressive bow (that makes sense in my tiny mind) this is a fun way to finish things. The song starts slowly with the reggae but slowly builds into more of a ska song before finishing with a big explosion of everything that's great about Geistfight; big solos and massive energy.
Ruin Or Worse is a fantastic release! If you're a fan of ska punk and you haven't heard of this guys or checked out the EP then do so immediately. Ruin Or Worse is five songs of explosiveness that will get you moving and really capture your imagination.
Stream and download Ruin Or Worse here: https://geistfight.bandcamp.com/album/ruin-or-worse
Like Geistfight here: https://www.facebook.com/Geistfight
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