Alesana - Where Myth Fades To Legend

28.07.2008 | George | 9 Comments

Genre: Screamo/Rock/Emo
For Fans Of: Drop Dead, Gorgeous – Aiden – Dogshit
Favourite Songs: n/a
Running Time: 51:08
Year: 2008
Website Link: http://www.alesanarock.com
Myspace Link: http://www.myspace.com/alesana

Score: 32

If you bought this record, you have every right to return it.

REVIEW.

So here it is; My first review for KYS. What a shame that I have to start off on such a terrible, terrible foot. I must admit, I have heard the name Alesana a fair few times, but I have never actually heard any of their material before. Lucky me. 

From the moment ‘This Is Usually The Part Where People Scream’ kicks in, you know you’re in for a pretty bumpy ride. With awful tone, the cheesy “fake-metal” riffing instantly gives you that “Oh no…What have I just purchased?” feeling, and things don’t get much better from there. Once the vocals come in, it gets a lot worse, with woeful screams and pitchy melodic singing that even Auto-Tune couldn’t fix. 

‘Goodbye, Goodnight, For Good’ starts off with a little vocal “hook” (term used loosely), and then gets rolling with some up-tempo beats, and a barrage of shit-sounding screams. As if one bad singer in a band like Alesana isn’t enough, these guys have 4. That’s right, 4 guys all competing for worst vocalist of the year award; and they’re all in the same band. Lucky they redeemed themselves by throwing in a breakdown right? Wrong. I would have thought screamo bands would have wised up to the fact that they’re never going to be as heavy as Misery Signals, so they may as well not try. 

Moving on, and what is apparently the band’s most (in)famous track ‘Seduction’, lets in with some whiney and irritating vocals, and some more-of-the-same guitar riffs. By now (track 3), it’s clear that all of the structures are going to be pretty formulated, as most of Alesana’s fans probably wouldn’t realise that they’re listening to pretty much the same track, just with different words thrown in. This track features on the latest Vans Warped Tour compilation, and if this is the best track they have to offer, then pickings look pretty slim. 

At times, the band seem to suffer musical schizophrenia, namely in tracks such as ‘The Uninvited Thirteenth’ and ‘And They Call This Tragedy’. The latter swings from your standard screamo ballad to a failed attempt at a black metal song, complete with bree-vocals and a half-time breakdown, only to end on a drawn out line that sounds like it was directly ripped from Thursday’s Full Collapse. 

CONCLUSION.

Bands like this are the reason that so many actual decent and deserving bands don’t get their just desserts. As long as idiot kids buy shit music like this, record labels are just going to keep dishing it out. If you bought this record, you have every right to return it, and let the store know that it is aurally defective.

TRACKLISTING.

1. This Is Usually The Part Where People Scream
2. Goodbye, Goodnight, For Good
3. Seduction
4. A Most Profound Quiet
5. Red And Dying Evening
6. Better Luck Next Time, Prince Charming
7. The Uninvit