Album Review: Alesana - 'On Frail Wings Of Vanity And Wax'

Considering how over saturated

the whole “insert cliché here” genre is in 2007, it’s refreshing

to hear a band at least try and do something a little different.

Although some parts of this record can be a bit hit and miss and others

can be downright fucking awful, there are parts of “On Frail Wings

Of Vanity And Wax” that are pretty cool and deserve another listen. 

Imagine if you would, the shrieked

screams of “The Blood Brothers”, the helium affected vocals of “Chiodos”,

some pseudo metal riffing, a bit of pop punk and some really shitty

mosh parts and death growls and you get “Alesana”.  

Apparently these guys are making

waves in the states and I think I’ve worked out how they’re doing

it. By splicing together emo, screamo, metal, punk and pop they’ve

successfully catered to almost every demographic of the current Warped

Tour crowd.  

But what does this mean in terms

of songwriting? Well, it means “Alesana” are a talented bunch of

guys who can definitely play their respective instruments but the 13

songs contained within “On Frail Wings…” are lacking in consistency.

While you might be into the melody and chorus hooks of a track like

a “Ambrosia”, there’s a good chance that you’ll be turned off

by the poor attempts at guttural vocals on “Pathetic Ordinary”.  

At certain stages in the record,

“Alesana’s” vocalist (and I’m not sure which one because there’s

3 people listed with vocals credits in the booklet) reminds me of Claudio

Sanchez from prog – rock geeks “Coheed And Cambria”, and it’s

these epic, almost dreamy passages that are the most enjoyable parts

of the album. While I can appreciate that a large part of the band’s

arsenal is its ability to scream the tits off a boar, the heavier vocals

take away from the feel of the more progressive parts of the record.

When you couple this with some of the lamest breakdowns I’ve heard

this year, you can only describe “Alesana’s” attempts at getting

the pit moving as laughable.  

“Alesana” are sure to attract

their fare share of critics, but at least they’re trying to put their

own spin on a genre which is rapidly losing all credibility. While this

record may not appeal to everyone, they get an “A” for effort. If

the band focused more on the melodic aspect of their song writing, rather

than the weak sounding breakdowns, their next record could be something

special. 

1. Icarus
2. Ambrosia
3. Pathetic, Ordinary
4. Alchemy Sounded Good

   at the Time

5. Daggers Speak Louder

   Than Words

6. Last Three Letters
7. Apology
8. Tiltin