[6.5/10] Two years on from the release of their debut effort Your Ghost Is A Gift, Massachusetts metalcore act Ligeia are back with their sophomore effort Bad News. While the band themselves have gone through a slight line-up reshuffle (the band now comprise of vocalist Keith Holuk, guitarist Ryan Ober, new bassist Brandon Whipple and drummer Phil Fonseca), they’ve also made a determined effort to alter their musical direction.

Taking the lead set down by Every Time I Die, Ligeia have shaken up their sound a bit by incorporating a huge helping of big heavy rock to their generic metalcore sound. In just doing this, Ligeia have managed to inject a more life into their compositions, with tracks such as the title track “Bad News,” “Hot Mess” and “Hoodrat,” being the real stand outs.

Of course, the album has more than its fair share of standard metalcore fare, with “Teenage Wasteland” and “Thanks For Nothing” fitting the bill. But it’s “Heroin Diaries” that really stands head and shoulders above the other tracks. Acoustically based, and full of genuine emotion, “Heroin Diaries” is a real gem that proves that beneath the generic metalcore exterior, Ligeia have the potential to offer something completely different, with a whole lot more substance.

But for all its good points, Bad News does have its negatives. Pretty much the one thing that really brings this album down is the lyrical content. For every song like “Heroin Diaries,” Ligeia offer up another three below par efforts like “I’ve Been Drinkin’,” “One Night Stand” and “Bombshell.” Ligeia have never been ones to be too thought provoking in the lyrical department, but Bad News certainly doesn’t raise the bar much either. The only other negative worth mentioning is the 29 minute running length of the album. Bad News certainly isn’t what you would call huge value for money, content wise.

Overall, Bad News is a definite improvement in the song writing department from Your Ghost Is A Gift, but not exactly a huge step up in terms of quality. If anything, Ligeia have hinted at the potential to produce something stronger in the future. But at the moment, they still fail to really make a positive impression with the likes of Bad News.

www.myspace.com/ligeia