I Am Ghost - Those We Leave Behind Album Review (2008)

A review for Altsounds. I don't like calling bands boring. I don't like saying an album is dull. I hate it when people use the phrase "it all sounds the same" - it means they aren't trying hard enough. I really hope that this review is not a subtle way of saying these things. I like the genre of post-hardcore when it is done really well. And the problem is this is not showcasing the music at it's best. Not by a long way. Another case of style over substance for a band still coming to terms with some drastic line-up changes. I hope they get it together soon and start making some really great albums.

The review:

It hasn't been the best of starts for California post-hardcore five-piece I Am Ghost. The band's debut album 'Lovers' Requiem' was tentatively received, making about as much impact on an already saturated genre as a marshmallow mallet, and debut EP 'We Are Always Searching' was almost as anonymous. In 2007 the future of the band was thrown into turmoil with the departure of Kerith and Brian Telestai and drummer Ryan Seaman (who was actually the band's second drummer and had only just recommended Ron Ficarro as a replacement for Brian Telestai). Gabe Iraheta quickly joined the quartet of ex-members but founder and lead vocalist Steve Juliano vowed to strive on with replacements. Complicated history and confused line-up changes aside, I Am Ghost release a second album entitled 'Those We Leave Behind' - an appropriate name considering past events.

It is clear from the first few songs that 'Those We Leave Behind' has a strict formula and any deviation will in no way be accepted or tolerated. All the ingredients for a great dark rock screamo album are present but there is a lot of separation during the culinary process. This is not caused by the clarity of production or an overly clean and crisp sound; it is just fragmented and lacking cohesion. There is a heavy reliance on starting each song with big soaring guitar loops, the drumming is very one-dimensional, and each huge epic anthemic chorus is not as huge, epic and anthemic as it could be. Singer Juliano has an interesting voice, only in that it is not the typical strong baritone it could be - his delivery is much more loose and free than say Ville Valo or Gerard Way. Even after repeat listens, the hidden depths beneath the superficial surface are just not there.

One of the main problems with the album is the lack of anything truly interesting. There are no really great standout songs, but no obvious low points either. The sound is so consistent and flat, lacking in risks or imagination. In spite of a morbid subject 'Buried Way Too Shallow' is a wonderful metaphor transformed into a great punchy song. The uplifting chorus is one of the best and musically it drifts toward psychedelia at times. 'So, I Guess This Is Goodbye' is also good from the acoustic opening, into some different guitars getting quickly to the hook. The addition of some female vocals helps break the monotony. After the quick poetic introduction of opener 'We Dance With Monsters', 'Don't Wake Up' has the best of the guitar loops and the blend of vocals, again including female backing, is effective. 'They Always Come Back' is a much needed lift late on - it sounds fresh and new, not the typical screamo formula and the best thing about closer 'Set Me Free' is the delicious guitar solo but the rest remains average pseudo-metal.

The worst of the songs usually manifests when the band seem to just go through the motions or Juliano's lyrics get too trite. The messy 'Bone Garden' has a decent chorus but lines like "When it rains, it pours...when I rain, you call...delicious" sound empty and pointless. 'The Saddest Story Never Told' attempts to do something different but seems to start halfway through a huge guitar break. The line: "We were lovers burned alive" is more obvious than Dido. On 'Make Me Believe This Is Real', the massive over-produced vocals do not work at all. 'Smile Of A Jesus Freak' is absurdly confused. Is it overtly controversial or simply ironic? Mixing gun metaphors with religious zealotry is never a great idea at the best of times. And the serial killer musings of 'Remember This Face, Baby' deserves only to be part of subsequent song 'Burn The Bodies To The Ground', which in itself is a mess: based on a chorus that does not work and a late injection of melody leading only to more noise. One of the biggest disappointments is the title track - a noisy start, the rolling drums, the 'not quite so epic' chorus, and then squealing guitars. It all descends into a horror movie, finally dying with an awful key change at the end.

I Am Ghost seem to be pushing all the right buttons but there is no injection of explosive fuel to get 'Those We Leave Behind' moving. This is the album people could quote as an example when they use the phrase "It all sounds the same". Of course it doesn't but there is a good case after a first listen. With genres expanding and evolving all the time, there is no excuse for at least some experimentation. If the music was more interesting and not so in-your-face, more of the lyrical subject matter would be exposed. Juliano's imagination never strays too far from macabre tales of lost love, hope in the afterlife, and challenging faith - so like the music, the song writing is extremely narrow. In the ocean of post-hardcore and dark-rock bands, I Am Ghost should be a tsunami. Instead they are merely a few waves in a brief and harmless storm.

-- CS (for Altsounds)