Nine Inch Nails made an incredibly commendable move releasing Ghosts V-VI for free representing solidarity between the artist, the fans, and anyone who chooses to give it a listen during these unfavourable times. Not only that, both records are also solid and represent the feelings many of us are currently experiencing. Ghosts V: Together veered off the path the rest of the Ghosts series of albums took incorporating elements of drone across the record. Mixing it with dark ambient made for a meditative record. It showed the depressing side of things and contrasted it with eerily beautiful moments showing the hope we all must grasp onto during tough times. Its sister album Ghosts VI: Locusts on the other hand takes a route similar to Ghosts I-IV by utilizing a larger palette of instruments and a larger track list.

Unlike Ghosts I-IV, the inclusion of more instruments on Ghosts VI: Locusts is better utilized in order to create a cohesive mood. Additionally, the production this time around feels more balanced. On Ghosts I-IV the instruments were too discordant at times making for a very distracting and jarring listen on many tracks while Ghosts VI is clear and precise with its mood. Where Ghosts V complemented its darkness with some beauty, Ghosts VI goes for a consistently dismal mood which at times is horrifying. Ghosts VI also seems to have a story behind it starting with a sense that danger is looming. “The Cursed Clock” begins the record similar to Ghosts V with a heavy focus towards the pianos to set the tone. It’s a creepy track that feels slightly plain for dark ambient standards. It doesn’t have the currents of drones like on Ghosts V which helped create a more solid tone. The rattling synths are a nice touch though. The following track “Around Every Corner” does a better job at creating a piano focused piece that feels both interesting and unsettling. Rising ominous synths, funeral-like trumpets, the soft crackling of a door being tampered with, and the orchestral swell at the end among other things work in tandem to create a spine-chilling piece. Same with “The Worriment Waltz” which has an even more depressing piano structure that fades in and out throughout being taken over by ghoulish drones and a variety of other instrumentation including another heartbreaking trumpet announcing the beginning of the end.

From here Ghosts VI dives deeper delivering some horrifying tracks representing the danger showing its true form. “Run Like Hell” gets you on the edge of your seat with its aggressive percussion and spazzing saxophones before breaking into “When It Happens (Don’t Mind Me)” where the abrasive siren-like pianos grow into a noisy cacophony sending the listener into fight or flight. Both songs manifest a feeling of panic leading into “Another Crashed Car” showing the danger may be gone for now, but the destruction left behind is just is terrifying. Emphasizing the track is a singular piano note playing every corner note while what sounds like a malfunctioning cassette player repeats every measure. The following tracks “Temp Fix”, “Trust Fades”, and “A Really Bad Night” come off being generic feeling repetitive without a purpose, but continue the overarching creepy aesthetic of Ghosts VI which feel like the examination of the aftermath and an acceptance of reality. “Trust Fades” does have some scratchy and unsettling woodwinds hidden within the production though which would have been better if they were pushed higher in the mix to add a greater layer.

More than halfway through the record Ghosts VI begins to give off a nervous atmosphere like there is still more danger to come. “Your New Normal” illustrates this with jittery bells and pianos as if trying to figure out what the next move should be. Unfortunately those are the only two parts of the song that create this atmosphere over uninteresting nothingness. A track like that needs a subtle layer of drones or field recordings to make the emotions feels real the next track “Just Breathe” does. Even though the unnerving collages are nice it falters with the opposite problem though where the drones aren’t enough to retain full attention towards and could have benefited from emotive pianos even if they were subtle within the mix. Same thing goes for the smaller track “Right Behind You” which is more of an interlude than anything making it feel unneeded. After we get the largest track off of Ghosts VI “Turn This Off Please”. It features a mixture of the dronier aspects of Ghosts V and the greater complexity of Ghosts I-IV with the percussion accenting the atmosphere rather than taking it over. The dynamic progression across the track is impressive subduing itself at times to grow larger in scale without throwing in too many instruments.

Easing away from the creepy and unsettling atmosphere are the final two tracks representing the end of troubles. I’m definitely lukewarm about “So Tired” and “Almost Dawn” not feeling like a fully satisfying end to the record. The latter does have a great ending though with its stormy cacophony that dissipates into a faint buzzing which fades into a slow heartbeat finishing off the record. Even though Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts have clear differences between them, they are both solid records that compliment each other. Ghosts V represents the loneliness while Ghosts VI remains closer to the scarier aspects of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Both do have their own issues, but they don’t harm the atmospheres nor the importance of these records. I really like what Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have done with these giving an escape to those who need it. Currently times are hard, but remember to stay positive and be safe for yourself and those around you.

Favorite Tracks: “Around Every Corner”; “The Worriment Waltz”; “Run Like Hell”; “When It Happens (Don’t Mind Me)”; “Another Car Crash”; “Turn This Off Please”

Rating: 7/10

Released: 03/26/2020

Label: The Null Corporation

Genres: Dark Ambient, Ambient, Drone, Post-Industrial

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RATING SCALE

Perfect Excellent Great Very Good Good Meh Disappointing Bad Horrible Pitiful Bottom of the Barrel