In a major missed opportunity, “Rock N' Roll High School Murder” by I Am Ghost is not a morbid homage to Rock N' Roll High School, the wonderfully tongue-in-cheek 1979 cult flick where The Ramones eat pizza and wreak havoc. Instead, the track from 2008's Those We Leave Behind is played straight, offering a melodramatic account involving killing classmates and awaiting death. Amidst a melodic salvo of Screamo and Metalcore, the chorus goes, “So cover us in sheets and move a little closer/Our high school murder is over/So can we rest in pieces?/Just cover me in roses/Our high school murder is over.”
Without intending to do so, the song pinpoints the problem with the Long Beach, Calif., quintet's approach to the concept of drama. Rather than incorporating any subtlety or precision, I Am Ghost cycles through over-the-top macabre motifs (vampires, blood, guns, fire, coffins, etc.) that Atreyu and My Chemical Romance would have utilized in their early days, and bashes their dark aesthetic over your head.
They play The Mad Hatter. Get show details and Sound Advice here.
