anatomy of a ghost

evanesce

'This is what good new school post-hardcore sounds like: a little prog, a little punk, a little metal and all heart.

"Evanesce," Anatomy of a Ghost's fist full-length, is inspired. It is an album in the style of popular bands like Thursday, and Coheed and Cambria, as well as a good part These Arms are Snakes.

It starts off fierce yet melodic, and never relents. The melodies are bright. The production is crisp. The straightforward progressions and intricate riffs are well balanced. For a dirty genre, it's surprisingly clean.

Not one aspect outweighs another on an album in which everything stands out simultaneously. This is one of those cases where it becomes easy to look past the current release in heightened anticipation of what the band may offer next.

Portland's Anatomy of a Ghost has written an album that may be in line with the trends but, unlike many contemporaries, it will outlast the fads. This album should have a very long shelf life - but it won't sit on the shelf long enough to collect dust.

As a hardcore fan, this will become a staple of your collection. So, if you have yet to do so, get up off of your lazy ass and go buy AoaG's "Evanesce."