Review Summary: Alesana will surprise you with a comeback and some of their best songs to date.
The Emptiness is post-hardcore band Alesana’s third effort, and the first to not feature guitarist and vocalist Alex Ferguson. Jake Campbell handled guitar duties in his place. I kind of enjoyed
On Frail Wings Of Vanity And Wax. The album had some catchy tunes and I enjoyed the vocal interplay, but it did get a little over the top at times in the vocal department. Their second release,
Where Myth Fades To Legend, was panned by critics. I was fairly disappointed by it as it was really just the spitting image of a band going through the motions. So when Alesana announced their new record, I knew it would be a make-or-break on my feelings for this band.
The Emptiness is the work of a band breathing new life into their music. They seem a lot more passionate about their performance this time around. Also, this album is noticeably heavier in contrast to their other records. The guitar playing has just gotten much better in many areas compared to their last two records. The new tone makes the guitars sound more full and they pack more of a punch this time, and there are even a few solos scattered across the record. The guitar solos are nothing groundbreaking, but they help to improve the band’s sound even further and I almost would have liked to hear more of them. The drums have improved significantly. The vocals, while still being a bit cheesy at times, are definitely more consistent due to fewer vocalists compared to past releases. Although it has pitfalls, this album is definitely an enjoyable listen.
The album’s concept is pretty ridiculous on paper. It is supposed to be based on the poems of Edgar Allen Poe and the life of Anabel Lee in the 20th century. There are some references to time travel as well. This probably wasn’t the intention, but there are a few moments where the record tries a bit too hard to shove the album’s concept down your throat. For example, they really try to be brooding and macabre during the intro of the opening track “Curse Of The Virgin Canvas”, but it just comes off as silly and it makes the song 20 seconds longer then it really needs to be. Also, there are two short interludes found on this record. While they provide a nice change of pace, they really just feel like album filler and they both sound the same because they both are short violin compositions with some spoken word to accompany them. Other than these minor issues, you can simply choose to not look into the album’s concept and still enjoy the rest of its music.
The guitar work on this album is quite the improvement compared to the previous albums. There is a lot more melody implemented this time around. For example, the chorus of “To Be Scared by an Owl” has a very fitting melody which makes the chorus even catchier. “The Lover” has a lot of intertwining guitar riffs and soaring melodies which keeps the song interesting for its entire runtime. There are also some guitar solos on this record that weren’t as prevalent on previous records. “A Lunatic’s Lament” and single “The Thespian” both feature simple but extremely effective guitar solos. Also, “Anabel” has quite the epic tapping solo in its midsection. Lastly, the end of “The Murderer” is probably a highlight of the album for its guitar work.
When listening to
On Frail Wings Of Vanity And Wax, the drumming was always decent, but he never anything terribly interesting to catch my attention. However, this time around, the drummer actually has some memorable moments. For example, there is the fast and tight double bass attack in “The Artist” which really adds to the soft-loud dynamic of that section of the song. Also, the fast tom fills at the last part of “The Murderer” are pretty awesome. The drummer also keeps his beats fitting and interesting like in the chorus of “To Be Scared by an Owl”, and his atmospheric playing in the soft parts of “Heavy Hangs the Albatross”.
The album is definitely not without problems though. For example, the bass playing, while audible, is not interesting at all. As previously mentioned, “Interlude 3” and “Interlude 4” sound similar and don’t have much effort put into them. If you listen closely, there are also a lot of similar chord progressions on the record (namely a 6-7-8 chord progression in a minor key). The album definitely has some cheesy songs like “The Thespian” that work because they are catchy. However, “Curse of the Virgin Canvas” just takes it too far with the soft synths and Shawn Milke’s crooning. Also, “Hymn For The Shameless”, while having a few hooks in the vocal department, is a rather boring and dragging track. Lastly, the female vocals that are implemented on the record (ex. “The Murderer”) are a bit grating but aren’t prevalent enough to
Overall,
The Emptiness an extremely catchy album with some flaws. In most cases though, when
The Emptiness delivers, it leaves the listener extremely satisfied with some of Alesana’s best tracks to date. However, at its worst, the album can be pretty sub-par. Here’s to hoping Alesana continues with this faster, heavier, and catchier sound they have produced with this record.
PROS:
- Guitar work
- Extremely catchy
- Good drumming
- Vocal delivery is more consistent
- Generally better songwriting
CONS:
- Boring bass playing
- Grating female vocals
- Occasional recycled riffs
- A couple ***ty songs
- Interlude 3 and Interlude 4
OVERALL RATING: 3/5
