Catchy tunes to rock out to.
The first thing that hits you about “The Golden Ratio” is how catchy the melodies are; infectious, great to sing along to tunes that bring to mind bands like Finch and (old school)Thrice. The album opens with ‘Girl In Sheeps Clothing’; a dose of heavy guitars with some decent riffs, solid vocals and a great melody. This is something that runs through the whole album making it on the whole quite an addictive record that it’s easy to come back to over and over.
Despite the heavier sections which rely on metal riffs and gruff vocals this is a very accessible record: melodic sections are fed in throughout and it’s very anthemic, making it easy to listen to and digest. After only a couple of listens you’ll find yourself remembering the tunes. Tracks like ‘Sunlight’ are very poppy with a memorable chorus and screamy bits to get your teeth into, ‘Timelines’ is a slow and sweet anthem, just guitar and vocals with a touch of keys. ‘Timelines’ is followed by the total opposite, a full on, heavy and screamy track, ‘The Recovery’ the best on the album, really meaty riffs and an uplifting tune backed by fantastic gruff vocals.
Shadows Chasing Ghosts aren’t trying for anything too out of the ordinary here, however, they’re technically on the money. This is a great album because they’ve got the balance just right between heavy and melodic. They mix everything up often enough that you stay interested until the end and by the time you get there you’ll be singing along with them (especially as they save one of the best until last: ‘With The Best Intentions’ is literally impossible not to rock out to and the gang vocals leave you with goosebumps).