From Slipknot to Billie Eilish; Delving into the Record Collection of GHØSTKID’s Sushi

“I felt like I needed to do this record,” explains GHØSTKID’s Sushi. “I needed to express myself in a different way to how I had done before.”

Having left his previous band, Eskimo Callboy, Sushi has just dropped his debut album under the name GHØSTKID and is promising something different for fans of his former party metalcore band. “Eskimo’s music had more of a party influence but, this time, I’ve told more stories and it is a lot darker and lot more dirty sounding. It sounds almost industrial.”

Following the release of the album, we convened with Sushi and chatted with him about some of the more memorable albums in his iTunes collection and which of those albums shaped the GHØSTKID album which is out now through Century Media Records.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Sushi: “Oh, dude, let me think about it. I would say it was probably Guano Apes album Proud Like A God. That was the first record I bought when it comes down to heavy music because they were a serial band in German TV and that was the first band where I loved the song.”

What is your favourite album artwork?

“I would have to decide between Poison The Well and Iowa. I think I’d have to go with Slipknot’s album Iowa because they’ve got that semi-transparent paper in the booklet. Poison The Well has it as well, but I think I’d choose Iowa. Iowa is a great album that changed a lot for the metal scene in general.”

When you’re playing live, what album do you put on before you go on stage?

“That’s funny because I would listen to a lot of music before I went on stage but the one I would listen to most before I went on stage would probably be Linkin Park’s album Hybrid Theory. When I started singing and warming up that was with Hybrid Theory. I had no clue how to warm up properly in the beginning.”

What about after a show? What was the first album to get played on the tour bus?

“Dude, definitely Mötley Crue. Not a specific album but definitely ‘Kickstart My Heart.’ This was like we were drunk so we would pump out ‘Kickstart My Heart.’ My guys hated me for that one. You can’t hate Mötley Crue and that’s the reason I’m not in the band anymore (laughs).”

Artwork for ‘GHØSTKID’ by GHØSTKID

What album would you put on when you were having a romantic meal?

“(laughs) Oh my God! Probably Slipknot’s Iowa (laughs). Probably something by Deftones. They’ve got a lot of songs calm but still pretty cool. It’s hard for me to pick a specific album but the one with ‘Digital Bath’ on it, that was White Pony. That song has a weird mood, like the whole album in fact. It really puts you in a different mood. You can also sit down and smoke a joint while you’re listening to ‘Digital Bath’ so you can be sad as well. It’s a calm song that really, really touches you emotionally. Every song they put out puts you in a different mood, it’s what I love about them.”

Which album do you think sums up your life right now?

“Probably my own record. It’s all about the stuff I’m going through right now.”

What album is your guilty pleasure?

“I listen to a lot of music so that’s really hard to pick. I’m really open-minded when it comes to music so there is nothing specific that I would be ashamed of. I listen to a lot of pop stuff like Billie Eilish but I would never be ashamed of that as I fucking love her.”

Which is the one album you’ve owned that you think every person should listen to?

“I would say That’s The Spirit by Bring Me The Horizon. This is a record that changed a lot for the music industry and writing music in general. You could compare it to Iowa because they both set up the bar for music really high. They reinvented metal for sure with that album.”

Which is the album you’ve been most disappointed by?

“I guess there have been multiple albums I’ve been disappointed by (laughs). It’s hard to pick one specific album but if I was to talk about being disappointed it would be when I’ve heard albums by metal bands in general. Nowadays, it feels like a metal band puts out a song that is really sick then you listen to the album and it is just ten versions of the same song. That’s why I love Bring Me The Horizon because they’re always reinventing themselves and you don’t know what to expect. For most of the other metal bands, it feels like there is nothing new coming out.”

What music do you listen to at the gym or when you’re exercising?

“Probably to King 810 (laughs). I fucking love the record with ‘Alpha & Omega’ on, La Petite Mort or a Conversation with God. It’s so impressive the sound. It sounds so fucking huge. They’ve got a whole orchestra there. It’s a really dark record with an unexpected sound.”

Which album do you wish you’d played on?

“I’d probably say Mötley Crue again. I guess that was a really fun time. I would have loved to have been part of Mötley Crue back in the day.”

What albums were you listening to while you were writing the GHØSTKID record?

“It was a mix of bands really but definitely a lot of music by Bring Me The Horizon, Fever, Marilyn Manson. These were the artists that inspired me but not just with the songs. These are bands that reinvent themselves on every record with every fucking single. Marilyn Manson for me had the whole art concept as well. That was something that inspired me. Fever is another band as well. Everything these days is almost too perfect but that is a band who are raw and aggressive and it’s great to hear a band sounding like that.”

What are your hopes for GHØSTKID going into 2021?

“I think I have the same vision as other artists out there at the moment. I just want to play live. That’s the reason why you write a record to play it for your audience.”

GHØSTKID’s debut album is out now through Century Media and you can purchase it here.