The Persona

Having inside information on a band's inner workings is a double-edged sword if one wishes to critique their work, as the knowledge that comes into play can both illuminate the motives behind their madness and distract one from enjoying the intended mystique. This tends to go doubly so for a band that makes a concerted effort to stand apart from the pack, which is precisely what Philly-based metalcore upstarts A Well Thought Tragedy were pushing for against the tide of cookie-cutter bands saturating their adoptive scene. Their generally asymmetrical approach to songwriting and cryptic lyrical themes (as well as song titles) were definitely a draw for those in the local scene looking for something different, but being plagued by constant lineup changes and a growing division of both musical and personal priorities can play a massive part in sabotaging whatever gains are made in the studio and on the road.

Naturally turmoil can contribute to greatness, or at least a near flirtation with it, and the potential is definitely present for better things than a local footnote in metalcore history. Compared to their rather rough and all over the place debut EP from the previous year, The Persona presents a more polished and refined musical picture, albeit one that is still hampered by the hardcore punk sensibilities that found its way into the final production of this album. The entirety of this album is an exercise in rhythmic precision and poise, yet it is heavily distorted by the high-end character of the mix and an over-emphasis on the drums and vocals. For his part, lead vocalist Max Ariel manages a more competent and varied vocal presentation this time around, and featuring a bit more of a raspy, At The Gates-inspired shout in place of that more monotonous, Hatebreed-infused shout that dominated Dying For What We Love. Likewise, barring the recurring breakdowns, many of which feature greater atmospheric detailing, the riff content definitely points to a stronger Colony and Slaughter Of The Soul influence.

The best way to break down this more tightly run 12 song opus is as a sort of cryptic storybook set of music, each chapter having a very peculiar title that even this reviewer's long time friend and this band's then bassist couldn't clearly recall the meaning of. Seriously, a title like "Dyslexic In My Dreams" is about as goofy of a concept as one could imagine, but the musical content is about as solid of a blend of early All That Remains fanfare and In Flames inspired guitar work as one might hear west of the Atlantic in the mid-2000s. The storybook analogy holds true in how each song transitions into the next, as a guitar feedback turned tuneful instrumental intro dubbed "Legacy" and the gradual developing opening banger to follow "We Never Shook On It" kick off a barrage of The End Of Heartache meets Colony-inspired goodness with a mixed up structural presentation. The band's propensity for allowing the music to tell the story takes on a particularly strong twist with another instrumental on the album's latter half in "With Sapphire Skies Between Us" that allows guitarist Chris Jones to showcase his abilities as a competent soloist with a semi-technical, yet largely tuneful and heartfelt presentation.

It's a bittersweet testament to an era that's now more than a decade in the past, but The Persona stands apart from a lot of the unsung metalcore that came out of the east coast in the mid to late 2000s, both in terms of what was being played and the message that was being conveyed. It stands as a sort of monument to a band that largely couldn't get its footing due to an endless succession of lineup changes that encompassed everything outside of the rhythm section of Jason Esbensen and John Parker Walton, as despite a fairly exemplary performance on this album, guitarist Chris Jones would vacate the premises prior to the subsequent tour and be replaced with two other guitarists that stood at the tail end of a succession of upwards of 19 lineup shifts (per Jason's recollection). The band's name itself was the invention of the original vocalist, who would not appear on any recording with the band apart from an unreleased 2004 demo during the band's infancy, further underscoring a state of flux that was both fitting for a band this innovative, yet also sealed their end. Chalk it up to another trend wrapping up and real life coming into play for those involved if you like, but the unrealized potential here is about as blatant as can be.