The unfortunate death of Hawthorne Heights’ guitarist/vocalist Casey Calvert meant that the band’s sound changed quite dramatically on their last record, 2008’s Fragile Future.

The reverberations of that are still present on their newest offering Skeletons, mainly in the scream department, which was Calvert’s main responsibility, making the music more accessible post-hardcore rock. The heavy use of clean vocals has paved the way for bigger chorus hooks and harmonies and a pop style feel is evident throughout all of the tracks.

Album opener Bring You Back is one of the record’s strongest tracks and manages to remind the listener of the early days of Hawthorne Heights and the post-rock genre in general. The song uses a strong vocal melody as its focus which is backed by bright guitars that create an uplifting feeling despite the negative subjects of the lyrical content. The album’s first single, Nervous Breakdown, follows and showcases vocalist JT Woodruff’s use of harmonies which are essentially the backbone of the entire record.

Drive uses electronics and synthesizers as well as group vocals which makes it one of the more original songs on the record and an interesting departure from the group’s usual sound. Things continue to change with the folk rock inspired Gravestones, which misses its mark and seems a bit out of place in context with everything else on the album. The electronic element returns for Last Few Words which evolves into a pop punk/rock track and blends its varying sections nicely.

At times the record can sound a bit clichéd, especially as it nears its end, with songs like the unimaginative Hollywood & Vine and boringly predictable Unforgivable. The album ends with the softer number Boy, a relatively safe song that is well written with a standout chorus.

Skeletons is something different for Hawthorne Heights, but certainly not something different for the post-rock genre, it will however, provide the group with some longevity as the screamo trend slowly fades away.