Ligeia - Bad News (Album)

So glamorous, so goddamned scandalous

September 1, 2008, 02:23 PM

“Metalcore is a fusion genre that incorporates elements of the hardcore punk and heavy metal genres” (Wikipedia).

I don’t think the new Ligeia album could be summed up any more neatly. Not being a massive metalcore fan, I can’t review this album in comparison to metalcore as a genre but, darn it, I actually quite liked it!

The title track, Bad News, is a moshpit anthem (see me with my lingo???). I can imagine it being played live, with a sea of jumping bodies responding to the strident guitars and brilliantly strong vocal.

Johnny Cash is a sombre, but incredibly catchy story focussing on addiction, and based in part some of the band members’ friends’ experiences.

Track 3, I’ve been drinking, is a memoir or nights we’ve ALL had! Those nights where “I'm raising hell all night and nothing's gonna change my mind” – pure drunken genius.

One night stand (something I’m positive we all know a little something about!) says it all – “So glamorous, so goddamned scandalous” – don’t we all want to be like that, even if it’s just for a tiny minute?

Bombshell is a really beautiful track, about a beautiful woman. It has some serious melodies and simple but really effective lyrics.

The first line of track 9, Heroin Diaries almost brought tears to my eyes…”Going away for a while, she’s gonna get clean, she’s only 17”. The beautiful acoustic guitar just emphasises the tragedy of the story, and ensures that this album isn’t just metalcore – it’s metalcore with a heart (*romantic sigh*).

Thanks for Nothing has very heavy vocals and guitars, and is very much what I imagined ‘metalcore’ to be. I loved the changes in tempo throughout this song, which just gave it that extra dynamic level.

In a twisted kinda way (in that I’m not sure how it reflects on my personality!), I think Hoodrat, the last track on the album is, lyrically, my favourite track on the album. There must be thousands of band members and/or musicians who can identify entirely with the theme of this song, and I don’t think that you have to do anything more than listen to the lyrics to understand exactly where Ligeia are coming from. And of course, to do that, you’ll have to dash out and buy the album……..*grin*