I Am Ghost

Aside from the pseudo-spooky, "Intro: We Dance With Monsters," complete with a haunting piano track and a little girl's frightened whisper, the only thing "goth" about goth-rockers I Am Ghost is the amount of black hair dye and eyeliner the band takes out on the road with them. They are however, as evidenced by Those We Leave Behind, rather versed in the art of polished melodicore.

The stylistic differences I Am Ghost has undergone since dropping the husband and wife team of Brian and Kerith Telestai (bass, keys/vocals and violin/vocals, respectively) are not that great, but the shift has resulted in a more focused and driven, albeit a bit predictable, effort. Frontman Steve Juliano plays the role of typical screamo vocalist by bringing a range of voices that volleys between emotive clean vox, high-registered screams and the good ole' breakdown growl. Nothing jaw-dropping or new, but he pulls it off well. The same could be said from the musical end of this spectrum with bright, metallically melodic riffs transitioning into any number of slick melodies, open-ended progressions and first-worthy breakdowns. Again, you've heard it before from bands of this ilk, but I Am Ghost do have a penchant for songwriting that comes across throughout the disc. While not a horrible affair, the lack of attention-grabbing standouts does take away from the overall quality of Those We Leave Behind.

—Ryan Ogle
11.03.08