Artist: Alesana
Album: The Emptiness
Label: Fearless Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: January 26th, 2010
Overall: 7.0
Music: 7.0
Lyrics: 8.0
Production: 7.5
Alesana have been at it for a while, crafting albums more ambitious than the last. Their latest entitled The Emptiness is a full force dive into a world they’ve created all unto themselves. One again we find ourselves with a raucous guitar assault and bouncing vocal harmonies back and forth between wails and ferocious screams.
Throughout all their albums, Alesana have shown off that they have pretty good pop charms. A song like “Heavy Hangs The Albatross” shines in the beginning with a lush chilled voice before breaking into an assault of guitars and screams. The intensity of the screams, although necessary at time for the tones can be a bit hard on the ears. In comparison, the harmonizing may be more appreciated at times.
The Emptiness needs to be experienced as a whole, due to the fact that it is a pretty heavy concept. It is hard to pick out specific songs to listen to, because they are best enjoyed in the flow of the entire album. The ambient-to-intense jumps found in “Hymn For The Shameless”, the back and forth crowded screams of “The Thespian”, or the grand finale epic venture of “Annabel.”
Although it is better as a whole, songs like “To Be Scared By An Owl” and “The Artist” (keep an eye out for the particularly moving bridge) are well executed on their own and could be put on rotation separately from The Emptiness.
Alesana may not be a band for all different kinds of people, but those that can appreciate them will no doubt enjoy this album. If you enjoy bouncing harmonies versus hard-hitting screams then this is a band (and an album) that you can’t pass up on.