* En anglais uniquement
Denmark's
Ghost Iris play technically advanced, progressive, melodically rich death metal chock-full of hooky choruses enhanced by hard-grooving drums. Their vocal approach balances strident clean singing and sinister growling, and they offer a near perfect balance of djent and metalcore. After releasing a trio of singles in 2014, their 2015 debut full-length, Anecdotes of Science & Soul, earned global significance as the most streamed album in their country that year. 2016's
Blind World was so well-received, it secured the quartet prominent placement on festival stages in Europe and the U.S. The band released Apple of Discord in 2019 to universally positive reviews and began headlining their own festival stages. After a year in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they re-emerged in May 2021 with
Comatose.Ghost Iris is a Danish progressive deathcore quartet fronted by vocalist
Jesper Vicencio Gün; the lineup includes guitarist Daniel Leszkowicz, bassist
Nicklas Thomsen, and drummer
Sebastian Linnet.
Ghost Iris was formed in the summer of 2012, when
Gün and
Thomsen left Shaped Like Swans due to creative differences. They recruited Leszkowicz and
Linnet from other bands and became the Monolith. After woodshedding and gigging for a year, they changed their name to
Ghost Iris and released their first single "Dreamless State" in July 2014, followed by "Phalanx" in September and "Everlasting Bliss" in November. In January they entered Copenhagen's Rhythmic Music Conservatory with producer Jeppe Andersen (
Volbeat) and emerged with Anecdotes of Science & Soul on Japan's Go with Me label. Their sound juxtaposed straight-ahead djent with melodic death metal. They hit the road while the album registered with the metal press and punters; it received almost two million streams and became the most played Danish record of 2016. Their live show only enhanced their reputation given their dynamic meld of metal subgenres and their first-rate musicianship and songwriting. In 2016
Ghost Iris was signed by SPV's innovative imprint Long Branch Records, which released the digital single "Vista."
Thomsen and manager
Mirza Radonjica co-produced
Blind World, which appeared in February 2017 to massive critical acclaim in Europe and Asia. Its positive reception, combined with the commercial success of their debut, won them prime touring placement on festival stages that summer and fall, as well as dozens of headlining gigs in large clubs and small theaters.
Ghost Iris re-entered the recording studio at the end of 2018 and emerged with Apple of Discord. Released in February, the set featured guest vocal spots from vocalist Chad Ruhlig (
For the Fallen Dreams) and Tyler Shelton (Traitors) and ran up the Danish charts while the band was on the road playing both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as cities in South America and Asia. Their mature sound almost perfectly balanced melodic and technically proficient progressive death metal with hard grooves and hooks that some critics suggested "approached pop."
Though the COVID-19 pandemic shut down virtually all live activity,
Ghost Iris managed to issue the single "Made to Rust" in April of 2020. They recorded their next album via social distancing and finished mixing as Denmark's quarantine eased late that year. In January 2021, the single "Paper Tiger" was released, followed by long-player
Comatose in May. The set's second track, "Desert Dread," included a guest vocal appearance from
Chimaira's
Mark Hunter singing a duet with
Gün. ~ Thom Jurek