Alesana – Where Myth Fades To Legend
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Record Label: Fearless
I’ve decided that I’m going to create a new genre for bands like Alesana. They are the kind of band that’s a little bit screamo, a little bit pop, a little bit metal, and a little bit of country (just kidding about the last one), so it’s difficult to put them into a genre. Until now. I introduce to you “lolcore,” the perfect home to place a band like Alesana, whose music is fairly generic and cookie-cutter, but at the same time mildly entertaining.
The North Carolina sextet brought in Steve Evetts (Saves The Day, Every Time I Die, Senses Fail) to produce their sophomore album, Where Myth Fades To Legend, the follow-up to their Fearless debut, On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax. What you’ll find on Myth is more of the same: a triple guitar attack that sounds like two guitars most of the time, mediocre lyrics sung by an above average vocalist backed by whiny screams. Even the chorus of opening track “This Is Usually The Part Where People Scream” acts as a self-prophecy: “Welcome to the show/it’s a story you’ve heard a thousand times/so take a seat/and get lost with me.” Which is exactly what happens. Even though the song is nothing special, it’s incredibly catchy and has a big breakdown towards the end, and I’m a sucker for fun breakdowns. And “Goodbye, Goodnight, For Good” delivers that, as well. With aggressive riffs and clean vocals from Shawn Milke, it’s another head-banger.
When I listen to Milke’s vocals, a part of me hears Claudio Sanchez, and the sung vocals are not bad at all throughout the album. It’s the screaming that brings down the work, as it could use some serious improvement. “Seduction” is an all right track that could do without most of the screaming, while “Red And Dying Evening” is dominated by screaming and double-bass drum kicks from Jeremy Bryan, and it actually works for the most part.
“Sweetheart, You Are Sadly Mistaken” is a favorite of mine, as it starts out with some delicate guitar plucking and kicks into a huge riff. Mike sings about his bloodlust for a girl, and other than a few cringe-inducing lines, the lyrics aren’t that bad. “As You Wish” is horrible, as Alesana should stay away from piano ballads. Closing track “Obsession Is Such An Ugly Word” ends the album in decent fashion, with charging riffs from Milke, Adam Ferguson, and Patrick Thompson and bombastic drum kicks, as the album ends raucously with a lot of screaming, guitars, and noise.
Alesana’s Where Myth Fades To Legend is definitely one of the more generic albums you'll hear in 2008. Evetts did a good job producing this album, and there are a few bright spots throughout, such as vocalist Shawn Milke. Of course they are a plethora of flaws, such as some songs sounding the same, poor lyrics, generic screaming, etcetera, etc. There are still a lot of improvements the band needs to make on their next album, until then Alesana will continue to be more Myth than Legend.
I thought the album sucked except for the songs they redid on their old ep (endings without stories, and they call this tragedy, red and dying evening). If you havent heard it, its alot better than the songs on this album and frail wings
p.s. shawn does the clean vocals, dennis screams and growls
if you really want to laugh though, see these guys live
This band kills it live, you obviously don't know what you're talking about. One of the best shows of 07 for me was seeing them open for Haste The Day.
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