Hi, I'm Mark. I used to play guitar and sing in this band called Forstella Ford. We put out a bunch of records and toured all over the US and Europe for years. Around 2007, I started an electronic project called BLCK/MRKT/RGNS that made an EP of original songs and one cover of a friend's song. I also wrote most of an album of acoustic folky songs around 2010-2012 that I never ended up releasing. From 2010-2012, I played drums in an instrumental post-rock band called Stock Options. Until October of 2016, I played guitar in a band called Volunteer. Before that, I played drums in a band called Volunteer. I currently play drums in a band called Dead is Dead for which I also write some of the songs.

Jacob Wysocki is a fine mist and comedian who is embarking on a journey of original parody songs.

There’s something to be said about restraint. In an era where many seem to put emphasis on quantity over quality, acts that give their music breathing room stand out more than ever, putting as much thought into the resonating of the notes as the notes themselves.

Dead is Dead write patient songs with a metallic edge with a slight lean towards the darker side of post rock. Comprised of guitarist Eric Madl, bassist Nick Sheppard and drummer Mark Sheppard, Dead is Dead create patient and moody post metal, trading in the uniformity and unabashed Black Sabbath influence of their contemporaries for something far less gimmicky and far more organic.

While no doubt influenced by some of metal’s finest pioneers in sludge, one cannot deny the similarities Dead is Dead share with Forstella Ford, the defunct but legendary former band of Nick and Mark Sheppard. Forstella Ford were masters of blending the aggressive with the melodic, the simplistic with the angular, the abstract with the accessible. While some of these qualities are less obvious in Dead is Dead‘s music, Dead is Dead certainly possess a spaciness and sonic width that greatly recalls certain moments of the now inactive band.

A solid rhythmic foundation coupled with spacious guitar work and tastefully impassioned vocals, Dead is Dead manage to not stray away from the metallic side of the genre while still incorporating less abrasive elements into their songwriting. The slow crawl of album opener “Faults and Failings” opens with an open and spacious clean guitar, patiently building for the first minute before exploding into a ominously fuzzed out lead. “Reproach of Man” features a lead that certainly recalls Forstella Ford, hypnotic and angular. “Pull Down the Cross” finds the band trading in the sludge for something a bit more upbeat, and do so with grace, Album closer “Earth as it’s Slowly Consumed by the Sun” clocks in at nearly ten minutes, eventually showcasing the band’s only foray into groovy stoner rock-esque riffage.

Guerrilla Ghost is the brainchild of two like minded individuals. Members come from similar backgrounds, creating noisy and aggressive sounds in their prior heavy bands. After meeting through a mutual friend, Defatte and Jones bonded over their love of hip-hop. The release of “AmeriKKKa” preceded the group’s proper debut EP and a slew of singles, and finally a debut full length. Keep your eyes and ears open; Guerrilla Ghost has arrived.

The Dead Hand of the Past is following