Give Up The Ghost - 'We're Down 'Til We're Underground' (Burning Heart)
2/5
By: Thomas Hannan
Don't be fooled by the disguise. You might have seen this Boston hardcore outfit on the radar before, as it's only in the past year that they've been operating under the current moniker. Yet, before you dismiss them as American Nightmare copyists you may be engrossed to learn that we are in fact dealing with exactly the same band, just one who ended up on the wrong end of a legal trademark dispute. The confusingly titled 'We're Down Til We're Underground' is the first proper fruit of sessions under the new name.
And so it begins all too promisingly with the intriguing, ambient-rock inclinations of '(It's Sometimes Like It's Never Started)' and the fiery first full track 'Love American' racing uncontrollably off into the distance. Worryingly however, it seems to have given the game away already; as it will come to your attention sooner rather than later, in just the first three and a half minutes of 'We're Down...', Give Up The Ghost have already displayed essentially everything there is to be found in their sound. By this point, admittedly, they'd done it all rather well.
But, unfortunately, they've had trouble sustaining such peaks. It doesn't tend to suffer from a lack of energy, but a record bereft of much melody in the same way as this needs something more than a fast pace and constant screams to make us believe it truly means whatever it is it's blaring at us. They're obviously impassioned (the screams on 'Crime Scene' are not those of an apathetic band), but choose to express it in such an incomprehensible way that if it weren't for the help of the scribbles in the enclosed lyric booklet we could hazard a guess that they're singing about anything. And as such, just how are we meant to connect?
With difficulty, seems to be the only way. It's not beyond belief that this is an incredibly heartfelt album (complete with soppy titles and a sculpture of heart-shaped sweets on the cover), but it keeps whatever compassion it may contain so hidden beneath crashes and yelps that it's incredibly open to other interpretations. The easiest one would be to say that Give Up The Ghost are just a very angry band - not a path they'd want you to narrow yourself to, but a forgivable one to end up on all the same.
A redeeming feature is that although for the most part they aren't fully realised, there are instances here where GUTG could develop into something to cherish given time, namely 'Bluem', and the off-kilter thuds of 'AEIOU'. Otherwise, for the most part, it's half an hour of hardcore emotions that pack a hefty punch but leave you feeling more tired and beaten than empowered - it feels about twice the length it actually is.
Grand finale '(And It's Sometimes like It Will Never End)' shows flashes of brilliance, an example of how in the closing minutes Give Up The Ghost can indeed pull off everything they'd hinted at but chose not to display in the rest of 'WDTWU'. They can cut it when they want to, but regrettably, such moments of promise only serve to make the end-result that bit more disappointing.
Artists in this article: Give Up The Ghost
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment