Pøltergeist
Nachtmusik
Bad Omen Records
A year can make a big difference. When I saw Calgary’s Pøltergeist play a hometown show at Terminus in the summer of 2023, I saw a band whose reach exceeded their grasp. They were a clearly impassioned act and had a vision for an anthemic and melodic style of post-punk, but there wasn’t just enough cohesion to the material or delivery to cinch things. They were much stronger earlier this year at Verboden Festival, and now their first LP Nachtmusik not only captures a band beginning to coalesce around strong instincts, but one bringing some welcome cross-genre pollination.
What is surprisingly easy to miss about Pøltergeist when you see them live is much more apparent on record: they’re metalheads. Metalheads who love and are self-admittedly inspired by The Chameleons, but metalheads nonetheless. In its early days, the idea of corrupting the pure and austere experimentalism of post-punk with boorish metal would have been unthinkable, but decades on with swathes of younger bands finding themselves enchanted with new darkwave and casting an eye backwards, such divisions seem petty and academic. The speedy drive of “Ethereal Nightmare” could easily be linked back to the earliest Twin Tribes material, but when it sits alongside the galloping triplets and shredding of “Yesterday Fades” (or songs called “Burning Sword” for crying out loud), the metal influence in its drum rolls and bellowed vocals can’t be ignored.
Thankfully, this combination isn’t just coasting on its novelty (Gallows’ Eve and Unto Others are the only other two bands who readily come to mind in terms of crossing these streams, but their specific interests in metal, goth, and post-punk are clearly distinct from Pøltergeist’s influences), but brings some proper tunes with it. The brooding “Cold In September” has a melancholy weight which belies its speed and immediate hooks, part modern Spectres, part Lowlife played at double speed. Ironically, the gloom of that cut sits a large distance from the spritely and crisp “Children Of The Dark”. Adjusting the ratio of power metal to NWOBHM, of pure goth rock to dancefloor darkwave, Pøltergeist pack a great amount of variety into a tight forty minutes, and are rarely found wanting in whatever build they settle upon.
Nachtmusik isn’t entirely without its faults. Some of the shredding is lost in a rough mix and a few harmonies and sections lose their way by trying to stand astride both of the band’s major genres. But those are the sorts of rough patches Pøltergeist have already begun smoothing out in their live delivery and seem more than capable of taking on in the future. Nachtmusik is a great proof of concept in terms of its chocolate and peanut butter blending of genres, but it’s also a damn catchy and satisfying record in the here and now which should make for some great late autumnal midnight skulking for metalheads and goths alike. Recommended.
