By Ashley Grey

Alesana is a post-hardcore band that formed in 2004 and originated in Baltimore, Maryland. Their music style shifts between light and heavy sounds which appeals to a wider audience. If people were to ask other Alesana fans what type of genre they were, most might say that they’re a “screamo” band. That may put people off when hearing that, but what they don’t realize is that the band also has a good share of songs that don’t even have screaming in them at all. So for those who aren’t a fan of screaming should give some of their other songs a chance before immediately thinking they dislike their music.

At the moment the group is currently signed to Epitaph Records and has released five albums. The newest album that the band released is called A Place Where The Sun Is Silent, and I would highly recommend it to new listeners. The full album contains sixteen tracks and a variety of different sounding songs. On one hand you have the heavy guitar with the pounding drums and Dennis Lee screaming after Shawn Milke sings sweet melodies. And on the other hand you have the songs where Shawn and his sister Mellissa sing duets together, with the sounds of a soft piano in the background.

Another interesting thing about the band is that they write their own short stories and base their albums off of them. A Place Where The Sun Is Silent tells a tale of a man who wakes up in the middle of the woods. He’s confused and has no idea where he was or how he got there. Suddenly he gets the feeling that something horrible is chasing him. So he starts running, he doesn’t know where he’s going, all he knows is that he needs to get away from the beast that’s chasing him. Exhaustion and fatigue is catching up with him however, and he wonders how much longer he can run.

After he gets away from the monster chasing him the story goes on about how he comes into contact with evil, gruesome, and powerful demons. Then out of the blue he comes into contact with a shockingly beautiful woman. Perhaps the most alluring one he has ever met. The temptress continues to lure our main protagonist away to a different place. There he has to overcome many obstacles that prevent him from being with his beloved temptress. The tale continues and gets better and better as you read on. So if you want the full story you’ll have to listen to the album and look up the full story yourself! It’s truly a great piece of writing so I encourage anyone to read it.

If you do give this album a chance and like what you hear you should listen to their other albums,  Try This with Your Eyes Closed, On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax, Where Myth Fades to Legend, and The Emptiness. They also have a song on the album Punk Goes Pop 2 and did a cover of Justin Timberlake’s song, “What Goes Around Comes Around.”