This was recommended to me by Amazon because of Trophy Scars. This was just all right for me. I can't say that it was terrible because they aren't exactly a ripoff of everything else but at the same time there wasn't anything to make them special. It's a good idea to listen to some of the songs before you buy this.
This CD is amazing, every song. Alesana brings something fresh onto the music scene. Each song has something differnet with an overall view of Roman Mythology. Standout tracks are Ambrosia, The Last Three Letters, Apology, Tilting The Hourglass, The Third Temptation Of Paris, A Siren's Soliloquy, and Nero's Decay. The Third Temptation of Paris is clearly about The Trojan War, and how Paris stole Helen. It is a beautiful song about the war. Buy this cd, it will leave you breathless.
WOW THIS BAND MAKES YOU WANT OT TEAR OUT EVERYONES EYES AND EAT THEM... THE DEATH VOCALS ARE GUT WRENCHING THE BAND IS AMAZING AND KICKS THE [...] OUT OF ANY BAND OUT THERE... YOU WILL LOVE THIS ONE EVEN IF YOU HATE SCREAMING...
Alesana are featured over at Smartpunk.com (with an extra 'S,' no lesss) as of this writing. I sort of take it as a symptom of the times. If you can't quite accept Christina Aguilera as a "maturing musical force with real soul" and care not to listen to hip-hop or the Killers and their many followers, you probably pop versions of Alesana like tabs of acid at Woodstock. For better or for worse.
Looking at it, I notice the song titles. They've got more than one or two words. Think this might be an emo/hardcore band? Hey, "daggers." Not convinced? Elsewhere we have "pathetic," "ordinary" (in the same title) and "hate." But they're just words, after all. Shakespeare invented bunches, which must be why all the bands on the cutting edge try to evoke mirages of good ol' Billy in their dramatic poetry.
Listening to it, it's a mixed bag. There'll be something cool going on with syncopation or breakdowns ("Ambrosia") one minute, but something completely pedestrian and ordinary pops up the next (almost everything else here). Their "Apology" quickly morphs from a weepy, saccharine emo bawlfest into a full-on screamy moshpit exercise. So in a sense, it's got everything the discerning hardcore listener could want in under six minutes.
Maybe for some, the sound of the Chipmunks on the brink of suicide is a refreshing reprieve from the radio, but I've already listened to enough of Thursday to know I don't like them or their ilk very much. Skip it, but if you think the Shakespearian lyrical influence has potential, get the Receiving End of Sirens record ("Between the Heart and the Synapse") instead. Your ears will thank you for years.
