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Epitaph Records -- Millencolin

Attention I Am Ghost: wanting to do something grand should never be confused with being able to do something grand. Touted by Epitaph as “a cinematic tale of monumental proportions,” and described by vocalist Steven Juliano as “essentially a rock opera but for hardcore or goth kids,” the Long Beach six-piece’s debut full-length is nothing more than a self-obsessed dose of “more of the same.”

Continuing with the status quo, Lovers’ Requiem throws together equal parts new era-screamo and metal while touching on punk and hardcore. These boys can play their instruments, and their arrangements are sometimes impressive. Then again, you could walk out on any high school parking lot at lunch and throw together a top-of-the-line band just like them.

Lovers’ Requiem is largely par for the course with what can be expected from a Johnny-come-screamo band signed out of nowhere. They’ve got screaming and singing, hardcore breakdowns and melodic intros, heavy metal licks and chugga-chugga guitars. You’ve heard most of the elements of this album before.

I Am Ghost sets themselves apart slightly with heavy use of both violins and keyboards. I suppose this is what they were getting at when they started throwing around “cinematic” and “opera” (by the way, has anyone ever actually seen an opera movie? "Phantom" doesn’t count). To their credit, these elements do add a fair bit of expansion to an otherwise generic sound, and coupled with proper production, the songs do sometimes attain the mature proportions the band seems to be aiming for.

Nevertheless, there’s a market for I Am Ghost, and they’re certainly going to appeal to that market. I can’t say I want anything to do with this market or am able to identify with it in any way, but it’s still there. If this is what the kids want, then it’s what the kids are going to get. Epitaph clearly knows this and is why the label has stayed profitable despite loss of credibility.

But here’s what I’m trying to get at -- you can’t just call yourself important and have it be so. Name one album in the last ten years that claimed immortality through the gate. Limp Bizkit? No deal. Important albums become so over time, not from day one. Let’s get over ourselves and focus on making a good album rather than a huge impact fellas; reputation should never precede action.



People who liked this also liked:
The Used - In Love And DeathSugarcult - Lights OutNorma Jean - O' God, The AftermathRise Against - The Sufferer & the WitnessBullet for My Valentine - The PoisonDir en Grey - Withering to DeathJune - The June EPGreen Day - Bullet in a Bible [CD/DVD]Atreyu - The Best Of [CD/DVD]Aiden - Nightmare Anatomy



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    Posted by Pretty-N-Punk on 2008-04-24 14:45:17

    btw.... i am ghost is amazing. ^.^

    Posted by Pretty-N-Punk on 2008-04-24 14:45:15

    btw.... i am ghost is amazing. ^.^

    Posted by Pretty-N-Punk on 2008-04-24 14:44:16

    I agree with Yvonne. Bashing on what other people like ISN'T cool. It's annoying.

    Posted by xmirezx on 2007-09-12 04:20:18
    My Score:

    hey...not many people know bout this band in Malaysia...And u know what guys,they have the elements to attract goth kids around da country n for some reasons,their music suits my heart...I hope that someday they release a better album...nobis protemma vobis...

    Posted by Yvonne on 2007-04-21 10:46:15
    My Score:

    By the way, if you guys don't like the music, go comment on the music you actaully like. That's what NORMAL people do. Stop being bastards and badgering a great group of musicians.

    Yvonne

    Posted by Yvonne on 2007-04-21 10:40:30
    My Score:

    I love I AM GHOST and don't know why everyone seems to want to badger them. They are amazingly talented and I love their music. I dunno about the rest of you, but I can see them rocking hard and topping charts real soon.

    A true I Am Ghost fan,

    Yvonne

    Posted by sashachemicalbabe on 2007-04-09 21:12:42
    My Score:

    this is not garbage ok ppl!

    Posted by sashachemicalbabe on 2007-04-09 21:06:24

    i love this band i dont care what any1 says!!!!

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 7, 2006 at 6:05 PM (EST)

    more like i am gay

    Posted by ben_conoley on 2006-12-04 22:09:46
    My Score:

    Yeah!

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 4, 2006 at 7:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    man, why do you guys get people to review cds that dont even fucking listen to the shit they review? If you gave me a country album to review, or gave me a ska album to review.. i would probably fucking hate it too. I dont listen to ska or country. I listen to punk and hardcore and indi rock and some 80s. So, why dont you guys get your head out of your asses and get people who listen to punk/hardcore goth and get their opinion. I saw I Am Ghost in Detroit last month and they were amazing. Sick live band.

    Posted by Icapped2pac on 2006-12-04 17:13:28

    That means that you think it sucks that Limp Bizkit sucks. I'm glad you feel bad for Fred Durst.

    Posted by freesandwich on 2006-12-04 16:55:34
    My Score:

    score is for the fact that limp bizkit sucks

    Posted by Kursk on 2006-12-04 10:17:57

    Some Girls put out a full length on Deathwish and an EP before they signed to Epitaph, they're not THAT new.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 4, 2006 at 9:33 AM (EST)

    This record (And AFI, Marilyn Manson, MCR for that matter) equals not goth.

    The Cure, Bauhaus, Sisters Of Mercy equals Goth.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 5:05 PM (EST)

    “essentially a rock opera but for hardcore or goth kids"

    I love this, for the first time in history Hardcore and Goth have become entirely interchangeable.

    Posted by ben_conoley on 2006-12-03 14:33:02

    I definitly don't expect a masterpiece, but when you say you've got one...

    Posted by maverick on 2006-12-03 13:23:50
    My Score:

    Considering how new this band is, their live show was surprisingly tight when I saw them last month. Spot-on three-part harmonies, tons of energy, sickdrummer; if you're into this genre, you'll definitely enjoy this band live. Eons more talented than Aiden (who they're always lumped in with).

    As for the record, it sounds like a record a bunch of young kids would write. Expecting a masterpiece out of the first time a bunch of 18-to-22-year-olds get together is pretty heady.

    -Scott

    Posted by dreux on 2006-12-03 11:44:26
    My Score:

    Great review. Need more insightful stuff like this.

    High-school parking lot comment was spot-on.

    Being able to play instruments != musical vision.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 10:37 AM (EST)

    I actually don't mind that Epitaph is signing mostly metal and hip-hop groups. I don't mind that they released this, I just happen to hate it. I realize others are going to like it, and to tell the truth, at least it does try to be something different. That cannot be said about the majority of punk bands.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 6:50 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Like most people on this site, I think this record is shit. According to Mr. Brett, however, we all have terrible taste in music so this must be good. I wish Brett was available to tell me how to think with regard to everything, not just music. That would make life much easier.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 9:55 PM (EST)

    eh, but some girls released a bunch of shit (including a few 7 inches which were re-released as All My Friends Are Going Death) on three one g before signing to epitaph. they've been around for about 3 or 4 years, since around the breakup of AN. i was gonna mention converge too, but they've only been signed to epitaph for the last two albums. and converge are hardly new, and encompass many more genres than just punk.

    Posted by ben_conoley on 2006-12-02 20:09:00

    Some Girls were pretty new when they signed to Epitaph - but as for debuts and "punk" I'm not too sure.

    Posted by Cos on 2006-12-02 13:45:55

    Does Epitaph sign new punk bands anymore? I'm not talking about screamo/metal shite, but actual punk bands? Hellcat doesn't count. The last CD I got from them was the Draft, who don't exactly count as a new band. Are they just ceding that territory to Fat?

    --Cos

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 1:36 PM (EST)

    this is hilarious. it's like the mall-screamo bible.

    "....and in the beginning, the used begat my chemical romance, which begat from first to last, which begat i am ghost, which begat...etc, etc, etc...and on the seventh day, brendan kelly cried."

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 1:37 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Gay-FI. That is what this band is to me. I'm sorry for being un-P.C. but they are if AFI went even more goth which is too goth for anyone.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 1:23 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This cd is awesome. It's the closest thing you'll find to symphonic punk.

    It's not "more of the same" at all, it's a much more seamless record than their debut album. I loved their first album but the songs on that one sounded a little jumbled at times, on this album all the instruments are in perfect harmony.

    Posted by treos on 2006-12-01 23:45:23

    "I'd argue that music taste is never entirely subjective. Sure, people may like different things, but that doesn't make them good.

    For example: I'll freely admit to enjoying Fall Out Boy. I can't help myself. But would I ever say they were a good band? No. They're shit. But I like them. They're objectively shite. But I still like them. People really need to start seeing the difference between enjoying things, and those things being of any worth."

    I'd like to pose the question, what makes a good band, is it technical ability, the ability to compose something different, the ability to create something to entertain, or maybe a combination of these elements plus more?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 9:50 PM (EST)

    “essentially a rock opera but for hardcore or goth kids,”
    oh yeah...hardcore and goth, two birds of a feather...

    Fuck this guy!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 7:52 PM (EST)

    Mr. Brett if you happen to be reading this review, what the hell is wrong with you?

    You don't have to sign every single different shitty indie, screamo, metalcore, pop, backpack rap, goth, & etc that you come across.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 7:18 PM (EST)

    I'm only happy when it rains.

    Posted by iconoclast on 2006-12-01 17:32:50

    garbage.

    Posted by Deadpan on 2006-12-01 15:57:04

    P.S. I miss the time when seeing a link to "watersports" on porn sites conjured up images in my mind of people having sex on jet skis. Alas, no.

    Posted by Deadpan on 2006-12-01 15:50:57

    I'd argue that music taste is never entirely subjective. Sure, people may like different things, but that doesn't make them good.

    For example: I'll freely admit to enjoying Fall Out Boy. I can't help myself. But would I ever say they were a good band? No. They're shit. But I like them. They're objectively shite. But I still like them. People really need to start seeing the difference between enjoying things, and those things being of any worth.

    Posted by thekidscaneatabagofdicks on 2006-12-01 15:46:31

    I've seen some internet videos of young ladies that drink urine....

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 3:21 PM (EST)

    "taste is relative you idiot!"

    This is true, some people do prefer Pepsi, others Coke, some prefer Lucozade. Oddly enough though, you never see people drinking bottled urine, I wonder why that is, considering that all things are down to personal taste and there's no such thing as good or bad?

    Answers on a coastguard to....

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 3:20 PM (EST)

    Crazytoledo is probably stoked on this.

    Posted by GlassPipeMurder on 2006-12-01 14:51:33
    My Score:

    score is for the first half of the comment below me.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 2:29 PM (EST)

    taste is relative you idiot!

    do you want a coke, pepsi, mt. dew, jones soda, and so on.

    you like what you like, good for you. they don't like it, good for them. I'm sure you never talk shit about bands you don't like.

    on that note: Panic! is a most awful band ever. Even as people... they are just awful people. maybe they should have toured a bit before getting a record deal... earn your "fame"

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 2:21 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    This band is amazing...just because you guys have no taste, doesn't mean the band sucks.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 12:47 PM (EST)

    i wonder if they want to set their friends on fire?

    but honestly, I heard about this band, and the EP before it, isn't too shabby, so I borrowed the disc from a friend, and it is.... in one word... a bubble gum version of the goth/punk genre. I love this genre, and probably because of the Misfits, but all the same, I would like to see what they have to offer in terms of a live show.

    lastly, would it ever be possible to have a review written by someone who is more versed in the genre the CD is in? Because lets face facts, if you don't identify with it, you can't write a fair review. I would be like asking my parents to review the next Marilyn Mason album.... its all just noise.

    Posted by ctkrohn on 2006-12-01 12:16:23

    "Johnny-come-screamo"

    Awesome phrase.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 11:54 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    score is for the white ninja

    - ( the real ) the ryan

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 10:56 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    if you don't pay too close attention to the lyrics this album is listenable, however if you see them in a live setting it will kill any possibility of this ever being a guilty pleasure ever again

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 9:41 AM (EST)

    I like My Chemical Romance and AFI, but hate this band and Aiden. I really tried to listen to and enjoy this record, but just ended up laughing at it. Whereas MCR have quite a bit of fun and humor in The Black Parade, these guys take everything so godamned seriously and ultimately it becomes unintentionally funny.
    Aiden is worse.

    Posted by killdefenses on 2006-12-01 04:42:50
    My Score:

    score for the link

    Posted by damnitsderek on 2006-12-01 01:01:35

    There was supposed to be one "L" in there.

    Posted by damnitsderek on 2006-12-01 01:01:13
    My Score:

    Score is for Neill's comment.

    Posted by GlassPipeMurder on 2006-12-01 00:26:31
    My Score:

    here's my score...i know..i'm generous.

    Posted by Neil_Cawlley on 2006-12-01 00:26:28

    I am gay.

    -Neil_Cawlley
    -AIM-Longlivetheduck4

    But not as gay as this.

    Posted by GlassPipeMurder on 2006-12-01 00:25:48
    My Score:

    not terrible. the violin usually complements their arrangements nicely.

    Posted by thekidscaneatabagofdicks on 2006-12-01 00:24:26

    Let the bashing begin.

    Posted by JonDaley on 2006-12-01 00:23:49

    yes the band is god awful, no doubt they have some talent but still not good with the whole song writing aspect.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 1, 2006 at 12:22 AM (EST)

    I am goats.