Ligeia

Initially appearing one-dimensional and regurgitated, recent Massachusetts upstarts Ligeia are deceptively deadly, picking up where Poison the Well unfortunately trailed off after 1999’s landmark The Opposite Of December, and upping the mosh considerably. Beginning with the comparatively watered down introductory single "Beyond A Doubt,” the intensity skyrockets almost immediately with "I’m Sorry You’re Ugly,” introducing strategically placed bass cannons and lyrical content which, without revealing too much, delivers chills based on the directness and unsettling subject matter alone. While failing to break much, if any new ground, there is an honesty and spontaneity present on Your Ghost Is a Gift that sets Ligeia apart, in addition to their near unwillingness to include slapdash Gothenburg harmonies or introspective acoustic interludes. Plenty of clean vocals appear, perhaps a tad too frequently, although vocalist Keith Holuk possesses a palatable, if generic delivery that is fortunately not high-pitched or irritating enough to broach Atreyu or Story of the Year territory. A beefy, thick low-end and rawer than usual production (courtesy of Unearth’s Ken Susi) has a similar resonance and effect to Jeremy Staska’s work on Remembering Never’s Women And Children Die First, which is to say, it’s thundering and merciless. Ligeia are certainly no innovators, but this degree of conviction and raw power is a breath of fresh air regardless.