1 CD he Burning Hell have been writing party anthems about the apocalypse since before the apocalypse arrived at the party. With “Ghost Palace,” the band presents their most joyful collection of songs about death to date, always finding something to smile about in the decay. Maximalist lyrics are underlined with fluorescent highlighter, the sublime snuggles up with the trivial, and surprising twists and turns through pop culture, animal life, history, architecture, and science fiction reveal moments of humour and beauty in the mire. “Ghost Palace” doesn’t dwell directly on the end of the world. Instead, the songs assume that our time running out is a foregone conclusion, and focus instead on what we might leave behind when we go, what might endure, and what surprises might be found amidst the remnants. “Ghost Palace” offers a densely layered journey, with expertly executed genre-crossing elements and instrumentation, suggesting that through community and balance we still might contain the tiny, hopeful seeds of our own redemption.Along the way, the band narrates both the need for action and the joys of refusing the hustle, nostalgically pines for the days of post-apocalyptic touring life, celebrates escape and solitude, and ends with the hesitant suggestion that the end of the world can’t last forever. Garbage Island showcases songwriter Mathias Kom's irreverent, surrealist lyricism, but while there is humour, there are few jokes. It's either the darkest record The Burning Hell has made, the most reassuring, or the most fun. It might be all three.
