Ghost Sector - "Shooting Blanks"

Chicago-based punk band Ghost Sector released their first studio EP on Halloween of 2013 entitled "Shooting Blanks". The album features 5 songs, each different from each other in style, but offer a subtle change going from track to track.  

The album kicks off with a fast guitar riff building up into a dual vocal melody.  High energy from start to finish.

As mentioned, each song has a different vibe.  Track #3, "The Sodom Below" has more of an aggressive and heavy sound, that even includes a sound clip from "The Shining" during the bridge, which sounded like something that would belong on a Rise Against album.  That song however leads into "Beating A Dead Horse" which gives me more of a more punk rock Blink-182 vibe.  It's unique to say the least though. 

The lyrics for the most part all match each other, and share a very common thing in 4 of the 5 songs - a reference to Chicago.  The lyrics in each song are all well thought out, I didn't really hear a single line that I felt was bland or un-thoughtful.  The music composition I enjoyed mostly, which all was explosive, catchy, and creative.  Harmonized guitar leads were used in two songs which I'm a sucker for, so my hats off.

If I could compare this band to anyone, I'd say the style is very similar to Alkaline Trio or The Lawrence Arms, but with one singer having a little heavier vocals than the two, and the other a little more high-pitched and poppy of a sound.  Good aspect to bring to the table.  It's just a 5 song EP, but if you compare it to any band that I've mentioned throughout this article's very first release, it's actually a lot better, so I look forward to hearing this band a few years from now and see how much they've progressed. 

"Shooting Blanks" by Ghost Sector can be purchased online at Interpunk.com, or streamed on Spotify.