Hard-hitting, passionate, and fueled by the kinetic riffing and thunderous breakdowns that have become synonymous with the genre, L.A.-based melodic metalcore outfit the Ghost Inside found mainstream success in 2014 with the release of Dear Youth, which found its way onto multiple Billboard charts. The band went on hiatus in 2015 following a life-changing bus crash that saw multiple band members sustain critical injuries, but returned in 2020 with a triumphant eponymous fifth LP.
Comprised of vocalist Jonathan Vigil, guitarists Zach Johnson and Chris Davis, bassist Jim Riley, and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk, the band formed in 2006 under the moniker A Dying Dream and released one EP, Now or Never, before changing their name and unleashing their debut full-length, 2008's well-received Fury and the Fallen Ones. The Ghost Inside began to hit their stride on 2010's Returners, spending more and more time on the road honing their skills and sharing the stage with the likes of Devil Wears Prada, Bring Me the Horizon, and Parkway Drive. The band's third studio outing, Get What You Give, arrived in 2012 on the Epitaph label, and was produced by A Day to Remember's Jeremy McKinnon. Their fourth studio long-player, Dear Youth, arrived in November 2014, and proved to be the group's most successful outing to date, appearing on several Billboard charts. Tragedy struck the following year when the group's tour bus collided with a tractor trailer outside of El Paso, Texas. Both drivers were killed, and Jonathan Vigil, Zach Johnson, Andrew Tkaczyk, and two others were hospitalized in critical condition, with drummer Tkaczyk eventually having to get his leg amputated. Recovered and undeterred, the band held their first official rehearsal in early 2018, with plans to head back into the studio. They returned to the stage on July 13, 2019, for a sold-out show at The Shrine in Los Angeles, and released their eponymous fifth full-length effort in 2020.
James Christopher Monger
AllMusic.com
