The Ghost Inside has announced the release of their 5th album, self-titled, to be out June 5th. With this announcement, the band shared their first new single, “Aftermath.” This is the band’s first release since the tragic bus accident in 2015.
The road to recovery has been extensive both mentally and physically but all things considered, they’ve shown a positive and inspiring attitude through the entire process of recovery. They will not stop fighting to do what they love and are excited to return.
According to bassist Jim Riley, “We went into the writing process knowing full well that every song and every lyric would be influenced by what we’ve been through, but we tried our best for them to be relatable to everyone. With Aftermath we let it be much more personal – this one is us telling OUR story. So when it was time to choose the first song to share with the world, it felt right for it to be Aftermath. It allows anyone that listens to our world, but it also lets us put the final punctuation on that chapter of our lives. Aftermath is a total catharsis for us. We let it all out in the song so that it’s not bottled up inside us anymore and we can heal and move on since after all, the beat goes on.”
The band had been working on material for the fifth album prior to the accident that claimed the lives of their driver, the lives of everyone in the other vehicle, and resulted in multiple injuries for all of the band members. Jonathan Vigil (vocals) suffered from a fractured back, ligament damage, and two broken ankles. Zach Johnson (guitar) has since had 13 surgeries for a femur injury. Andrew Tkaczyk (drums) ultimately lost his leg. The band collectively came to see the ordeal as a moment to put their inspirational lyrics to the test. Songs that were once more philosophical in origin had become autobiographical.
The accident will always be a defining moment for The Ghost Inside, but never what defines them. This new album taps into the raw emotional things they have been through, but not about reliving the worst days of their lives.
“This isn’t about what happened to us,” Riley insists. “We won’t get lost in that one day. This is about our journey, our growth, and who we are.”
The ultimate victory for The Ghost Inside is their triumphant new self-titled album.