Source: Album Artwork
Hard rock quintet Alteras has recently signed a deal with Revival Recordings owned by Shawn Milke of Alesana and will be making their label debut with the new full-length Grief, out on August 5th. The new album was recorded and produced by Nick Ingram (For Today, Dayseeker, Jay Z) at Capital House Studios in Columbus, Ohio. The band ranges from alternative rock to post hardcore in Grief giving the nostalgic feels of 2008. If you are into the older Taking Back Sunday or The Used, you will definitely want to check out Alteras‘ new album.
The nostalgia really does kick in right from the first track. You could easily be fooled into thinking you were listening to something by The Used. The fact that Grief is a concept album adds to this, as it takes listeners through a range of emotions from anger, to sadness and even a little glimpse of hope. Alteras say that they provide music to people that need to hear it, and this album seems to be a perfect representation of that. There is anger in the form of relentless breakdowns, accompanied with some very clever, emotional lyrics and the acoustic and live tracks show a real tenderness which demonstrates the versatility of this band.
The five piece certainly took a risk making this album. Not all of the features of our favourite albums from 2008 are quite as popular as they were back then, and some of the albums and bands haven’t aged that well. However, in Grief, Alteras have shown that some of the emotional, highly charged music that we loved back then is still just as relevant and amazing today as it was back then. The combination of angry and melodic vocals and guitars layered over the skilfully set drum beats and drum lines leave tracks like ‘Broke’ and ‘Everything You Wanted’ as hard rock anthems, while songs like ‘Could Ever Love’ will almost certainly see Alteras filling stadiums one day.
But it’s the acoustic and live tracks that really show the worth of this band. They can do the heavy ppost-hardcore aggressive songs, but they can also do acoustic versions of those songs – and do them really, really well. It’s rare to find a band with that much range, and vocalist Jake Clasen really shows off his talent and vocal range in these songs; particularly in ‘Black Box’. They add something to the album; something that some hard rock records don’t have; heart and real, undeniable talent.
Alteras have made something really special and rare in this album. It’s something that will appeal to such a range of tastes; it is almost universal. It is angry and full of angst, while at the same time being heartfelt and emotional. It is relatable to pretty much anyone with its clever lyrics, and this combined with catchy guitar riffs make Grief a force to be reckoned with.
