Ghost Romance

Ghost Romance is the second full-length studio album by American metal band Triple Seven. It was released on June 14, 2011, and the five-piece act chose to issue the record themselves without a label. It is the first and only album to include bass and rhythm guitarists Paulie Schumaker and Lou Killings, respectively. The recording's album cover was drawn by comic book artist and writer Mike Mignola,  who guitarist Ray Drieberg is a huge fan of. Despite Ghost Romance's sales being exceptionally low, it managed to garner positive reviews: critics were especially fond of lead vocalist Ashlee Erickson's performance, the pacing, and instrumental passages.

To many enthusiasts within the VII-Ups fanbase, the record continues to be seen as Triple Seven's crowning jewel, an opinion shared by both Erickson and (to a lesser degree) Drieberg. Many songs off it have crept their way into even the band's most recent setlists, and the current lineup hasn't ruled out the possibility of performing the whole album live.

Composition
In stark contrast to the band's previous releases, The Painkiller That Committed Suicide and A Prayer for the Damned, the sophomore album features an entirely different style. Though still rooted in metal, the record showcases more of an "alternative-meets-faux-experimental-meets-fauxer-'core" flavor, a notion strengthed by Erickson's wider vocal range and busier instrumentation. Also present on the album are interludes that possess a clear dark ambient influence.

Drummer Derrick Halsey revealed in an interview that his growing disdain for the deathcore scene was what caused Triple Seven to abruptly change their sound altogether. Erickson herself held similar sentiments at the time, but her perspective on the movement would later soften considerably following Halsey's dismissal.

Track listing

 * 1) "Nicotine and Egrets" – 1:33
 * 2) "No Logic, Just Gorgeous Hoopla" – 3:52
 * 3) "All Signs Point to Elohim" – 3:35
 * 4) "Bag of Souls" – 2:47
 * 5) "Lights Entered Your Nightmare" – 4:05
 * 6) "The Sadistic Herb" – 1:31
 * 7) "Eat the Cancer" – 4:28
 * 8) "Mr. Dementia" (feat. Carley Coma of Candiria) – 3:42
 * 9) "Happiest Killer That Ever Lived" – 3:29
 * 10) "Saliva Before Honey" – 1:26
 * 11) "Zero Failures" (feat. Nathan Winneke of HORSE the Band) – 2:54
 * 12) "December's Frostbite" – 3:47
 * 13) "Rotten Trenchcoat" – 4:12
 * 14) "Ghost Romance" – 1:32

Personnel

 * Triple Seven
 * Ashlee Erickson – vocals
 * Ray Drieberg – lead guitar, piano (7, 12)
 * Paulie Schumaker – bass, backing vocals (4, 8, 9)
 * Lou Killings – rhythm guitar
 * Derrick Halsey – drums, percussion, electronics (1, 14), ambience (6, 10)
 * Session musicians
 * Rick Thomas – programming
 * Carley Coma – additional vocals (8)
 * Nathan Winneke – additional vocals (11)


 * Studio
 * Kris Crummett – production, engineering, mixing, mastering
 * Matt Malpass  – mix assistant
 * Mike Mignola – cover art
 * Travis Smith – package design, layout

Details

 * Released: June 14, 2011
 * Recorded: November 2010–May 2011
 * Genre: Alternative metal, metalcore, experimental rock
 * Length: 42:53
 * Producer: Kris Crummett
 * Label: Self-released