Vanna – And They Came Baring Bones
Record Label: Artery Recordings
Release Date: June 21, 2011
It’s been a bumpy road for Vanna the past two years. Since their 2009 sophomore effort, A New Hope, the band has experienced what could have been crippling changes. Parting ways with vocalist Chris Preece, they picked up Davey Muise (of Seeker Destroyer) as his replacement. Following this alteration, they switched from their home at Epitaph Records to a place at Artery Recordings. In 2010, the first taste of these changes came with The Honest Hearts EP, which proved that the change in vocalists wouldn’t hurt the band at all, as Muise sounds remarkably similar to Preece.
Now a year later, Vanna have returned with their third full-length record, And They Came Baring Bones. Being their first record since switching screamers and labels, it seems to pick up right where A New Hope – or rather The Honest Hearts – left off, as not a lot has changed in the music or vocal department, despite what fans may have expected. As the record begins, “Black Bones” fires off with Muise’s guttural roar sounding over the deafening The Chariot-esque guitars of Nicholas Lambert and Evan Pharmakis. From the start it’s clear that this is the same Vanna as ever, only stronger – both vocally and musically – than before.
After the chaos that is “Black Bones” ends, “I, The Remover” picks up right where the opener left off, only this time showing off the clean vocals of Pharmakis over the dominating drums of Chris Campbell. “History on Repeat,” “Silver Sun,” and “I, The Collector” are each short dosages of absolute chaos, dominated by wild screaming, while “Breathing at the Bottom” features a balance between clean singing and ferocious screaming. On the other hand, “Scarlet Shroud” begins with soft guitars and Pharmakis’ soft vocal delivery before Muise cuts in, making it the most dynamic number on the record thus far.
Back breaking drumming dominates “Eyes Like the Tides,” proving the skill of Campbell behind the kit. After this penultimate track ends, listeners expect another frenzied track to close the record; however, the final “White Light” begins as the antithesis of this thought. The closer features echoed guitars and Muise and Pharmakis each playing off one another vocally, creating the most emotional, memorable moments of And They Came Baring Bones. As the track picks up, pure fury takes over and the screams are absolutely controlling of the track, ending the record on the best note possible. As the record ends, one thing is certain: despite all the changes and the rollercoaster the band has been on the past two years, And They Came Baring Bones is without a doubt Vanna’s best effort to date.
This is worth FAR more than a 78%. The progression they have gone through to get to where they are at is incredible. They are doing their own thing that is like a mix between old Vanna (Curses), The Chariot, and Alexisonfire (Watch Out! era).
The end product of "ATCBB" is so fresh!
I wish it was a tad longer, but every track is solid beyond belief! Definitely my favorite album of 2011 so far!
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