Alesana


Screamo sirens Alesana spent their first two albums writing lyrics around Greek mythology and fairy tales. With 'The Emptiness,' due out on Fearless Records on Jan. 26, the band endeavored and opted to write their own story. "Dennis [Lee, vocals] and I write lyrics cooperatively," vocalist/guitarist Shawn Milke told Noisecreep. "We're book nerds. The first record was about Greek mythology and the second album was about fairy tales. It was always our dream and our goal to, by third record, write our own story."

The North Carolina-based band spun a concept around this third album. Milke said, It's based a short story I wrote. Each song is a different chapter, and the art and lyrics tie in together."

The back story is as follows: it's set in the late 1800s and follows the morbid tale of a sketch artist in England, whose lover is slaughtered in his bed next to him. "Everything proceeds from there," Milke revealed, without giving away too much of the concept because, really, what would be the fun in giving it all away here and now? "Both Dennis and I are very into horror and romantic love stories, so we wrote a story that crossed the two. It's a horror story and a love story, with awesome twists and turns. The record has a booklet that is a diary, with handwritten lyrics and a second booklet, which has sketch drawings from main character and includes the short story."

Because of the visual aids and the intricate nature of the story, 'The Emptiness' is a full, multi-media experience that will assault all of your senses.

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