Anatomy Of A Ghost are one of the latest emocore rookies to turn heads in the independent scene, a fact that Fearless Records quickly realized, as they soon captured this young Portland, OR based band and decided to re-release their energetic debut. "Evanesce" is an entertaining effort rich in emotional textures, yet it's hard to be overwhelmed by the overtly poppy post-hardcore manifesto considering a plethora of identical bands have emerged in the past few years. What this album does is allow the band to document their given style and hint at what the future will bring, and though it flails about with misguided intensity quite often, there are a handful of tracks that expose Anatomy Of A Ghost's true gift at explosive screamo.

The group transition from intricate melodies to scattered moments of heightened aggression quite skillfully, yet it is readily apparent that Anatomy Of A Ghost depend upon the reflective harmonies that groups such as Dashboard Confessional and Coheed & Cambria have found success with. This is a shame, as the band are much more effective when they inject their songs with bursts of raging adrenaline, but alas these excursions are few and far between. Much of the disc is caught in the self-indulgent nasal sobs of vocalist John Hurley, leaving the true diamonds buried at the album's end. "Beauty Is In The Embrace" surprises with it's recoiling guitar and artistic dissonance, while "In Case Of Future Complications" weaves the excessive sensitivity the band stumble with earlier on with more focus and make this one of the album's most inspired offerings.

As far as the talent pool goes, Anatomy Of A Ghost hold their own, but the casual fan would have a hard time distinguishing between this quintet and more established acts such as Finch, Thursday & The Used. Thus one may conclude that "Evanesce" is nothing more then a carbon copy of the aforementioned bands, an unjust affliction that will either propel them to greater heights from the mainstream contingent or leave them ignored. The only tell-tale difference found here is the band's predilection for emo, and even that feels regurgitated from the continuous onslaught of mediocrity such a style procures. This is an all too familiar format that rarely strives to operate outside of the boundaries of post-hardcore, and where it would have been innovative only two years ago, now feels redundant and strained. The reliance on poppy emo aesthetics prevents Anatomy Of A Ghost from leaving a substantial impression on the listener, an issue that is sure to be increasingly difficult to avoid considering the band's status as part of Fearless Records' roster.