I Am Ghost

Those We Leave Behind

Written by: TL on 10/11/2008 23:02:48

I remember back in the winter of 2006, when I lifted the name of I Am Ghost out of the pages of Kerrang, giving their debut album "Lovers Requiem" a good deal of spins before deciding to myself that it was an alright record and reviewing it here. With that in mind, it was not without concern that I watched the band return to the spotlight to promote their sophomore "Those We Leave Behind" with a lineup that had been through the revolving doors and back more than once. Only frontman Steven Juliano and his faithful guitarist Timoteo Rosales III remains in the lineup originally gathered via MySpace, and now the band has lost not only their second drummer, but also the married bassist/violinist/vocalist Telestai couple to much drama.

After the obligatory ominous intro "We Dance With Monsters", the first song "Don't Wake Up" has me fooled into thinking that this band actually still has what it takes. The lead riff is good and catchy, and like on the best of the band's former material, Juliano keeps his terribly nasal voice low and sinister, exercising restraint even in the chorus where it is revealed that someone is at least providing female backing vocals on the album, even if no female singer has been added to the lineup. The good impression doesn't even hold up throughout the song though, as Juliano seems to have been inspired a little bit too much from touring with Aiden:

"Take my hand, let's set ourselves on fire!".

Come-the-fuck-on. From then on out, Steven proceeds to wreck everything that even remotely resembles potential in the music of his band. For every good riff, there's a cheeseball of a chorus or lyrics-stump, usually delivered by the singer straining his painfully annoying voice into something only the good Wil Francis seems able to do worse. The screams, though potent enough, are hidden consistently away in a strict supporting role, restraining them from ever portraying any convincing emotion, rather seeming to be there for the mere sake of the trend. In fact, the best thing I have to say about the album from the second half of track 1 and onwards is that it rumbles by rather anonymously, except for the odd stupefying lyric. First single "Bone Garden" leading the hall of lame with the painfully annoying:

"It's gonna rain, it's gonna rain tonight! Rain on your parade!"

To be fair though, Timoteo has got the stuff, if not the name, to be greater than this, and if he's any kind of smart, he'll be following his former mates out those revolving doors as fast as his contract allows him. As for the rest of I Am Ghost and "Those We Leave Behind", I only recommend it if you're 13 years old, think pink and black is the most rad colour-combo ever, and apply your eyeliner with a broomstick.

4

Download: Don't Wake Up
For The Fans Of: Aiden, My Chemical Romance,
Listen: myspace.com/iamghost

Release Date 07.10.2008
Epitaph Records

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