GREAT AMERICAN GHOST COVER DEFTONES ‘HOLE IN THE EARTH’ + NEW VIDEO

New Hampshire’s own Great American Ghost have just dropped their take on Deftones’ ‘Hole in the Earth’, the opening track from 2006’s ‘Saturday Night Wrist’. Alongside the single, the band has released an official video, available now here. 

For those not familiar with Deftones ‘Hole in the Earth’, it is a track steeped in melancholic melody and raw aggression. Exploring themes of emptiness, alienation, and disconnection while featuring the band’s signature tone of sound and sonic tension between beauty and brutalitity. 

Great American Ghost, Ethan Harrison (vocals), Niko Gasparrini (guitar), Grayson Stewart (guitar), and Anthony Laur (bass, have brought a post-hardcore punch to the track while keeping the atmospheric nature and intense emotional toil of the original piece. With the result being an interesting yet faithful version of a fan favourite.

When it came to choosing which song to cover, for the band it was an easy choice. “‘Hole in the Earth’ was our first and only choice when we decided to tackle a Deftones song," explains Harrison. "Not only is it our collective favorite by one of our biggest influences, but the subject matter really resonated with us at the time of recording. I'd encourage anyone listening to explore the story behind the song — and know that GAG was in a very similar place when we tracked this. We're really proud of how it turned out."

The accompanying video for ‘Hole in the Earth’, directed by Chris Klumpp, strips things back to an intimate, candle-lit studio performance filmed at Ghost Hit Recording in West Springfield, MA. Shot with a gritty, close-quarters feel, it puts the focus squarely on the band’s intense delivery, capturing surges of emotion in the track. The moody lighting and minimal setting amplify the cover’s weight, making it as visually heavy as it is sonically.

Formed in 2012, Great American Ghost have carved out a place in the heavy music scene from the Northeast with a mix of an undeniable and unpredictable signature style. Their debut ‘Everyone Leaves’ (2015) set the tone, followed by ‘Hatred Stems From The Seed’(2017), and ‘Power Through Terror’ (2020) with the latter earning a spot on RIFF’s 60 Best Metal Albums of 2020. Collectively, the band has racked up millions of streams, and toured along the way with artists such as The Ghost Inside, Alpha Wolf, and Fit For A King. 

In 2022, the band dropped the ‘Torture World EP’ via SharpTone Records, produced by Will Putney. Critics took notice: NO ECHO called it “a 4-song EP as brutal as its title suggests,” while V13 praised its “fourteen savage minutes” as unrelenting. Most recently, the band released their latest full-length, ‘Tragedy Of The Commons’ (2025), again working with Will Putney.

Great American Ghost’s take on Hole in the Earth stands as both a tribute to a key influence and a bold statement of their own identity, linking the roots of their inspiration to the unstoppable momentum driving them now.

Stream 'Hole in the Earth' and watch the video here.