The Holy Road is a project created by ex To Bury A Ghost frontman, Jonathan Stolber. A project that gestated throughout the lockdown, the outcome of which is An Unshakable Demon, a provocative collection of songs dealing with themes of mental health and coming to terms with a post-COVID world.
Mixed by the legendary engineer Steven Durose (Oceansize, Amplifier, Vennart) & mastered at Abbey Road by the iconic Frank Arkwright (Mogwai), An Unshakable Demon is a tumultuous, bristling record embracing multiple genres, ranging from neo-classical and industrial to post-rock and electronica. Opener ‘Title Sequence (Fade In)’ sets the stall immediately. Mechanical almost robotic instrumentals hypnotically drip from the speaker bleeding neatly into single ‘Coming Up For Air’. The most commercial song on the record ‘Coming Up For Air’ stalks its way through just short of 3 and a half minutes, ominously building throughout. ‘The Chauffeur’ nods to the ethereal beauty of ‘Amnesiac’ era Radiohead while EP closer ‘Against/Social/Media’ has the expansiveness and undulation of post-rock giants such as Mogwai and This Will Destroy You.
An Unshakable Demon is an expansive piece of art. It’s ambitious to the point of pushing beyond the tried and trusted mainstream acts we’ve all become accustomed to. While a definite positive it can, at times, be a heavy experience. Stolber challenges the listener from the first note to the last, unwilling to compromise on the emotive lyricism and industrial-inspired sonics.
The EP has picked up wide-ranging support including Prog Magazine, Prog Radar, Spectral Nights, Echoes and Dust, Find Your Sounds and BBC Radio.
An Unshakable Demon EP is out now.