“On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax” is
ALESANA’s debut full length album re-released
by Fearless Records, and let me state right up front
that rarely has a debut ever featured such precision,
expertise, and focus. These guys have a distinct sound
which they have obviously crafted to a razor sharp
edge, which has then been polished to a blinding shine
with exceptional production. This is a debut album
which doesn’t sound like one. It sounds like
these guys have been at it for decades.
So, what exactly does this oh-so-friggan great album
sound like? Well that’s a rather difficult to
say. A brief summery of ALESANA’s sound is nigh
impossible, as the music is so complex, multifaceted
and genre defying as to induce a nervous eye-twitch
from simply attempting to string together a coherent
sentence to describe the sound. At once the most sublimely
melodic and jarringly harsh music you’ve ever
heard: screams to peel the paint off the walls followed
by golden toned harmonized crooning straight out of
the American Top 40 list, with music that can only
be described as power-punk-emo-core. Does that make
sense? Of course it doesn’t. But bear with me
here. The key term when considering this album is
“dynamic”. ALESANA, a sextet, (insert
sextet joke here) incorporate 3 vocalists and 3 guitarists,
which lends itself to some extreme acts of musical
acrobatics, both vocally and instrumentally. Vocalist/guitarist
Shawn Milke says of the decision to employ three vocalist
and three guitarists “We’re all about
dynamics, both musically and vocally… by having
six members we are able to pull off the same guitar
and vocal harmonies in a life setting that we have
on the record.”
Take some uber-melodic emo, and some death-core and
slam them together forcibly and you’d get a
friggan mess. But when ALESANA does it, it turns out
beautifully. Think scream-o with metalcore tendencies.
Ok, I know “scream-o” is practically a
derogatory term, but in this instance it’s a
good thing. No really! These guys fuse melody and
harmony with heavy weight and harsh discord so well,
it’s nearly supernatural. Do you call it metal,
or do you call it pop? The answer is yes.
Bottom Line: Brilliantly executed scream-o, featuring
a trinity of contrasting and complementary vocalist/guitarists.
Superb production and expert musicianship combined
with a unique genre-melding style make “On Frail
Wings of Vanity and Wax” one of the most impressive
debut albums I’ve yet to hear this year. Oh
yeah, to top it all off, it’s an enhanced cd
featuring live performances as well as an interview
with the band, making a great thing that much….er…..
more greater.
Key Tracks: Daggers Speak Louder Than Words; Ambrosia;
This Conversation is Over; Third Temptation of Paris
Reviewed by Farron Watson |
