Tiger Army--III Ghost Tigers Rise
Ghost Tigers Rise is not what I was expecting from Tiger Army and that�s not a bad thing. Initially, I had hoped that the new album would pick up where The Power of Moonlite left off - kicking much ass- but it didn�t and I couldn�t be happier.
Ghost Tigers Rise is a mid-tempo album where Nick and Geoff show off their vocal range; which was lacking on the other albums. Had Tiger Army put out an album similar to that of The Power of Moonlite they would have backed themselves into a corner and faced a problem similar to that which many hardcore bands experience. Don�t get me wrong, I love loud, angry and fast music but the possibilities are finite and once you get a reputation as a hardcore or maybe even to some extent a psychobilly band it�s very difficult to shed. Once you have that label and you change your sound or style you�re a sellout but if you don�t change your music becomes stale and predictable.
Musically, Ghost Tigers Rise is closer to Tiger Army I than it is to II The Power of Moonlite. Lyrically, however, I�d say that it�s closer to the second album more than the first. If you checked out the sample MP3 (http://www.tigerarmy.com/mp3s.html) called Ghostfire you can get a good feel for what this album sounds like.
My biggest rip on the album is that I think that they should have included a few faster songs to break the monotony. Some of the songs bleed into each other and at first listen I thought it was one long song instead of thirteen.
My only other complaint, and it�s a minor one, is that at times Nick 13 sounds like Davey Havok (from AFI and Son of Sam) which gives the song(s) a cheap cookie cutter feel.
I can�t recommend this album enough. Hearing this album tempted me to buy a ticket to see them on the Warped Tour but then I remembered that I�m about twelve years out of their ideal demographic.
Review by Mike
