[7.5/10] After their successful We Are Always Searching E.P. release from 2005 (which was re-released after being picked up by Epitaph Records) and their full-length debut Lovers’ Requiem the following year, Long Beach, California- based post-hardcore act I Am Ghost underwent a major overhaul with members coming and going constantly over a year long period.

Of course, I Am Ghost (who now comprise of vocalist/group founder Steven Juliano, lead guitarist Timoteo Rosales III, bassist/backing vocalist Ron Ficarro and drummer Justin McCarthy) have managed to consolidate their line-up in early 2008, long enough for the troubled act to get into the studio and finally complete their second full-length album Those We Leave Behind.

As you would expect with any change of members, I Am Ghost’s sound has undergone a slight change. But rather than changing for the worse, it would seem that I Am Ghost’s transformation has worked in their favour, with Those We Leave Behind easily the band’s strongest body of work to date.

Of course, the band’s gothic cliché stance of the past is still ever present, with the short spoken word opening introduction piece “Intro: We Dance with Monsters” nothing more than fairly corny throwaway piece of fluff.

But beyond the opener, I Am Ghost prove that they’ve tightened and toughened up their sound considerably, with tracks such as “Don’t Wake Up,” the aggressive title track “Those We Leave Behind,” “Buried Way Too Shallow,” “Bone Garden” and “Smile Of A Jesus Freak” some of the heaviest and metallic efforts the band have committed to tape.

The single/promotional video effort “Saddest Story Never Told” is as close as the album gets to hosting a ballad of any description, while tracks such as “So, I Guess This Is Goodbye,” “Burn The Bodies To The Ground,” the rocking “Rock N’ Roll High School Murder,” “They Always Come Back” and “Set Me Free” on the second half of the album represent a more melodically inclined set of songs.

I Am Ghost still doesn’t stand out as anything truly unique and groundbreaking when compared to their peers, but when compared to their past efforts, Those We Leave Behind is a huge improvement and leap in the right direction, and easily the most memorable release the band have put forward yet.

www.iamghostmusic.com