‘Fake History’ is one of my favourite albums from recent years, so my expectations for new letlive material were ridiculously high. Thankfully ‘Banshee (Ghost Fame)’ doesn’t disappoint. It’s three more minutes of excellently pulled off hardcore, that any letlive fan will lap up, and leave them eager for the release of ‘The Blackest Beautiful’ on July 9^th.

The song starts off with your trademark Jason Butler scream, before some brief and mild group vocals, which set the tone well for another rollercoaster letlive song. This is followed by some Zack De La Rocha-esque ‘rapping’. It works very well, further showcases Butler’s great vocals, which are superb throughout ‘Banshee’, changing from subtle to heavy instantly. It’s further proof that Butler has one of the best voices in modern music, covering ranges expertly. The chorus kicks in suddenly and slaps you in the face as a result. It’s a standard letlive chorus that hits hard and stays in the memory. Butler’s voice changes over it’s course, and suits the instruments in the background perfectly. In terms of instrumentation ‘Banshee’ is spot on. Any doubts about the new drummer are vanquished, and the song is riff heavy. There’s a point in the chorus that reminds me of the steel drum hit in ‘Duality’; maybe it’s just me, but it sounds great, as does all of ‘Banshee’. Another way in which letlive is lyrically, and ‘Banshee’ is no different: Bulimia tastes better when you swallow the truth / I’d rather show some skin than bear my soul.

‘Banshee’ as a whole is a well-crafted and intense lead single. It ticks every box, and is also everything we’ve come to expect from letlive. Safe to say, I’m a hell of a lot more excited for album #4 than I was before I heard this song.

Rating – 8.5/10