Aiden - Nightmare Anatomy

Thu 29th Sep, 2005 in Music Reviews

Break out the eyeliner and look moodily through your fringe – it’s the new album from Aiden. One of the emerging bands on the screamo set, Aiden have already built up something of a cult following with their first album, Our-Gangs-Dark-Oath, and their split with Stalin’s War. Not content to let their records speak for themselves, Aiden have also undertaken some enthusiastic touring, participating in a number of festivals in the States, in addition to a support slot with Hawthorne Heights later this year.

Aiden’s popularity is deserved, if Nightmare Anatomy is any indication. The opening tracks demonstrate a respectable diversity of influences, showcasing the intensity and enthusiasm with which the band approaches their music. The album crashes open with Knife Blood Nightmare, a strident anthem of adolescent torment. The guitars lash out with all the fury Angel and Jake can muster, overlaid by the raw-throated cries of vocalist wiL. The vocals then lead the shift into a slightly more melodic verse, with wiL adopting a shrill tone to match the lead guitar. Apparent here are influences from bands like Killswitch Engage and the Used, both musically and lyrically.

The second track, The Last Sunrise, treads a line somewhere between Thrice and Atreyu, with guitar interplay and vocalising reminiscent of the former, and guitar tones and percussive drumming of the latter. These tracks set the tone for the entire album. What follows is, unfortunately, all a little too similar to the songs that came before, leaving the listener struggling to distinguish one song from another.

There are a few instances where varied elements are introduced, most notably the semi-industrial guitar intro on This City Is Far From Here, but these are too rare to make any serious change to the makeup of the album. The disappointing reality is that the band rely too heavily on the bands that have come before. Echoed all too clearly in their music are the songs of successful bands like AFI, My Chemical Romance, Atreyu, and the Used. Even in their presentation, Aiden look like every other emo/screamo/goth/ band, with dyed black hair, sleeve tattoos and a penchant for black T-shirts. The only reason Gerard from My Chemical Romance isn’t going to assault wiL for his red eye-shadow imitation is because Gerard probably stole the style himself.

The songs, too, have a clichéd air about them. Titles like See You in Hell… and Die Romantic are no doubt intended to sound macabre and poetic, but instead come across as failed attempts at depth, and slightly tacky efforts at that. Because they draw too heavily on their influences, the band deny themselves the chance to create a truly unique sound, one that will set them apart from the other bands in this increasingly overpopulated genre.

Nightmare Anatomy doesn’t lack for skill, crammed with insistent guitar riffs and intense vocals. The album itself is generally worth a listen, but would be improved by the development of a distinct, individual sound. At the very least, this disc demonstrates the potential possessed by this relatively young band. If they live up to the possibility that they indicate, Aiden will be a band to garner respect.