Alesana - Where Myth Fades To Legend
Record Label: Fearless Records
Release Date: June 3, 2008
I think it is safe to say that Alesana take a lot of shit from critics for their "lack of originality," which is true, to a degree. But creativity alone is not what makes an album good, and Alesana have proven that they are extremely skilled as musicians and as live performers.
The lyrics of Where Myth Fades To Legend are all based on fables and classic stories from the Brothers Grimm. This is good and bad, in a way. Sometimes, lead singer/guitarist Shawn Milke comes off very cheesy when he delivers lines such as "Once upon a fairy tale," or "Not all knights in shining armor/ Can make your dreams come true," but in other places, these type of lyrics work very well. In "This Is Usually the Part Where People Scream," Milke shines during the chorus with an inspiring "Let's save the world!" and in the breakdown, where he whispers spookily, "This is the part where you are supposed to scream!" The breakdown does come off kind of forced, but it was obviously written for a live show.
The other lead vocalist, Dennis Lee (screamer), probably takes the most criticism of any of the band members; his screams have been called "forced," "amateur," "annoying," etc. But sounding different isn't necessarily equivalent to sounding good, and Lee really doesn't get credit for the almost effortless way he switches between his screams and growls. Despite a slightly emotionless tone, Lee still manages to blend well with the music behind him. Layered screams (courtesy of bassist Shane Crump, guitarist Adam Ferguson, and guitarist Patrick Thompson) compliment Lee's screams extremely well and create a sense of band unity - something most bands in the scene these days are lacking. A perfect example of this would be the bridge of "Better Luck Next Time, Prince Charming." Milke, Lee, Crump and Ferguson all exchange lines in a quick, exciting fashion overtop harmonizing guitars. A very interesting listen.
The rest of Alesana certainly know their way around their instruments. Despite criticism that they are just a typical emo band with no creativity, the band has decent drums, and amazing writing talents, and three guitarists that blend perfectly with each other. One of the main things critics like to rip about Alesana is their guitarist lineup, criticizing them for needing three guitarists for the music they write. What they don't appreciate is the small subtleties of the guitar arrangements that are overlooked because of the chaotic atmosphere the band maintains for the entire album. I hear new things I didn't hear before every time I listen to this album, and it gets better every time.
The best thing about any album, in my opinion, is its big, high energy moments. These are parts in a song where the band can really show some stage presence during a live show, music video, or whatever. Moments can be a huge line delivered, an explosive guitar part, etc. This album is chock-full of huge moments. "Red and Dying Evening" contains the most, such as the exchanged screaming throughout the band members before the chorus, or Lee's anthemic "Forever gone!" in the second chorus. The best part of this song, though, is the bridge, where a short little hammer-on/pull-off riff is played, followed by a quick hit of the snare, and then an explosion of pure energy. It's certainly one of the high points of the album.
Despite all this, haters will continue to hate, and I urge you to at least give this album a shot. The mere number of bands in the genre (which is what most users believe to be the only factor in creativity) is irrelevant when you think about how intense an album this is. Sure, it's a scene album. Sure, the (seemingly) same thing has been done a thousand times before. Sure, the lyrics may seem boring and cliched at times. But Alesana have so much talent and skill at performing and writing that it is easy to put that behind and just appreciate the fun this album contains. Alesana clearly put hard work into writing this album, and what came out of it was an exciting and enjoyable album.
I see a lot of people hate this band, don't know why, don't care. I liked certain songs from the first album (2 or 3 i think) but this one failed on me, oh and it might be just me, but man when this guy starts screaming it's just ridiculus.
i'm not here to smash you because you like alesana, but the only real problem i found with your review was that you focused on others' opinions and that seemed to make you want to give them a very high score (i.e. you wrote 'Sure, the (seemingly) same thing has been done a thousand times before. Sure, the lyrics may seem boring and cliched at times', but then gave them a 8 for creativity and 7 for lyrics.)
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