The Ghost Inside Dear Youth

With the exponential growth of metalcore in the mid-2000s, many people initially lumped The Ghost Inside in with the wave of fad-driven bands who haphazardly stitched melodic choruses to simplistic breakdowns together in an effort to capitalize on a growing trend. While their debut offering, Fury and the Fallen Ones, was far from perfect, this band has steadily distanced themselves from their more mediocre compatriots by consistently refining and developing their song-writing over the last seven years. As a result of the band's development and refinement, Dear Youth is rightfully the group's most anticipated release to date. The record wastes no time getting to the point, with vocalist Jonathan Vigil's hoarse scream leading the charge on the aptly named opener, "Avalanche." This track's galloping riffs, frantic pacing, and sporadic gang vocals act as an impressive statement piece for this record's potential. "Move Me" and "Out of Control" continue the metallic barrage while blending certain melodic elements that weren't necessarily present on the first track, but still seem very at home on this album and will not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the group's back catalogue. As the album progresses, tracks like "With the Wolves" and the string-laden "Phoenix Flame" show off the band's ability to write hook-driven choruses and breakdowns that have long been metalcore's most enduring calling card. While songs like these, or later tracks like "Blank Pages," aren't the most inventive or memorable tracks on the album, they help the album progress in a logical fashion and showcase the sonic diversity The Ghost Inside is capable of. The heart of this album unquestionably lies in standout tracks like "Mercy" and "Dear Youth (Day 52)." The former relentlessly delivers stylish hardcore riffs and hard-hitting breakdowns laid beneath a consistent lyrical barrage. The latter song serves as the emotional core of this record, blending a cautionary message with guttural screams, a charging rhythm, and a chorus that only becomes more memorable with each listen. For even the most casual listeners of metalcore and/or melodic hardcore, these tracks help demonstrate a versatility and earnestness that makes it easy to understand how The Ghost Inside stands out amongst their counterparts. Following the high point of the title track, the album temporarily nose-dives with "Wide Eyed," which begins as what seems to be the most straight forward melodic hardcore song on the record, but gets lost somewhere along the way, with an oddly placed guest vocal spot by Letlive's Jason Butler and a breakdown that seems out of place and tacked on at the last second. From this point the album finishes with solid songs like "My Endnote" and "The Other Half," but never fully regains the momentum attained at its midpoint. Bottom Line: Without rewriting the rule book, Dear Youth is a solid outing, proving that The Ghost Inside has been able to mature and develop both musically and lyrically without becoming tedious or derivative. Additional focus on style and direction would do wonders for these metalcore mainstays.