ALAZKA - Pheonix

Post-hardcore. A genre laden with passion, emotion, and energy in infectious levels. It's popularity has been on the rise for years, with bands like Glassjaw and At The Drive In paving the way for countless bands to follow. Bands that are appearing in the scene today display the genre in it's current evolved state, with polished production, uplifting melodies, pain-filled screams and equally pain-filled clean vocals. Hailing from Germany, ALAZKA are a fine example of this. Formerly Burning Down Alaska, they've undergone a rebrand, picked up a clean vocalist, and released an absolute corker of an album with Pheonix. One that holds nothing back. One that demands you listen to it.

Right from the very beginning of the album, you can tell that this is going to be an emotional journey. Opening tracks "Ghost" and "Empty Throne" are full of pain and heartbreak, especially in the vocals. The sheer grit and rawness of Tobias Rische paired with the powerful sultry tones of Kassim Auale are painting the same canvas with two separate brushes, leaving you with a colourful and brutally honest picture. The dynamics of both songs are tasteful and complimentary to the vocals, making the emotional delivery of the vocals more emotional and the power of the aggressive sections more aggressive. "Pheonix" and "Blossom" showcase the bands ability to write anthemic material, both boasting enormous choruses and immaculate melodies. Perfectly paced and bursting with heartbreak and agony, it's very hard to not feel something whilst listening, no matter how black or dead your heart might be. "Everything" provides a passionate change of pace in the middle of the album, slowing things right down and showing a musically lighter and more ballad driven side to the band. In a way I guess you could describe the whole album as ballads, as all of the songs are about very honest and heartfelt issues, but this song in particular really strips things back a little and adds some diversity to the album. The entire album is great, but the highlight for me is "Hearts of Gold", a slice of post-hardcore excellence from beginning to end. The chorus has a gang chant vibe about it and sounds enormous, sitting perfectly over the thick guitar chords and pounding drums. Dropping the volume in all the right places, tastefully rising and falling in all the right places and really erupting with feeling on the run up to the tracks close. Although technically not their debut, this album shows real promise and potential. I would be surprised if this album doesn't get them places.

A few years aho, I had listened to Values and Virtues, their album when they were known as Burning Down Alaska, and I can honestly say that I was underwhelmed by it. It was good, sure, but it wasn't anything special. They weren't doing anything particularly different, they were just another good post-hardcore band. But this album tells a different story. This album is leagues above their previous effort. Vocally impressive, musically tasteful and powerful, Pheonix sets them apart from their previous album and allows their reincarnation as ALAZKA to stand very much in it's own league. The Pheonix has risen.

D.S

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