Ligeia - Bad News

This summer sees the release of Massachusetts 4 piece Ligeia’s second album, Bad News on the Ferret Music label. Since the release of their debut album, Your Ghost is a Gift two years ago, the band have been on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, with the departures of old band members and arrivals of new recruits, Brandon Whipple and Patrick Murphy, while maintaining a relentless touring schedule around the US, Canada and the Netherlands. This insightful offering invites fans to experience life in the Ligeia camp and hear the stories that have shaped the band over the last few years.

Whilst Ligeia wear their hearts on their sleeves and expose their vulnerable side, Bad News is far from a negative and depressing album. Judging by the title tracks on the album, One Night Stand, Heroin Diaries, Teenage Wasteland and Johnny Cash, Bad News could easily be preconceived as a hopeless spiral of sorry tales of disaffected youth, self loathing and failure. Thankfully this isn’t the case with Bad News. Ligeia have been commendably honest and written about some deeply personal and heartfelt experiences that have affected them and while there are strong undertones of the band’s low points, the general vibe of the album is positively upbeat, being more concerned with sharing the problems they’ve faced and overcome as a band rather than dwelling on the misery of the experiences themselves.

Opening track Bad News is a blinder of a track which sets the pulse racing immediately. The grunge like guitars and boomtastic double bass pedal beats teamed with front man Keith Holuk’s highly versatile Corey Tayloresque vocals are truly stunning and show that Ligeia are able to mix hardcore and melody extraordinarily well to create an infectious and penetrating sound without being too much to stomach.

Other standout tracks include One Night Stand and Johnny Cash, and overall the 11 track recording has been perfectly timed to leave listeners wanting more, without a single skip track on it.

Integrity and the DIY ethic shapes the ethos of Ligeia and widespread recognition and success are inevitable for the band in the near future. Expect to see Ligeia hitting the UK like a tidal wave in the next 12 months.

This album is a must in every hardcore music fan’s CD collection this year. Go and buy it! It will rock your socks off.

For more info on the band visit: www.myspace.com/ligeia

Interview with Keith Holuk