Vanna – A New Hope

Epitaph’s premier post-hardcore group Vanna is back for their sophomore effort, A New Hope.  A curious title, implying the band is trying to be some kind of musical savior, which would be rather welcome considering the rather stale state of punk-infused post-hardcore as of late.  Unfortunately though, any sort of extra “push” for the genre won’t be found here.  Vanna came on to the scene fairly unremarkably in 2006, only really becoming a common name in the scene because of their association with Epitaph Records.  Try as they might to push themselves forward, A New Hope finds the band stagnating in common territory.

Let’s get something straight though, from a technical standpoint Vanna is an unquestionably talented group.  A New Hope features some well executed moments of metal, hardcore, and punk.  Songs like “Life and Limb” feature technically ambitious solos like those found in hardcore acts like Johnny Truant.  Guitarists Evan Pharmakis and Nick Lambert know their stuff and seem to have fingers that move a mile a minute.  Even so, they never really makes anything compelling or unique.  From a hardcore perspective the songs feature breakdowns, but they’re generally pretty mellow and likely won’t find much appreciation in the hardcore crowd.

On that note, A New Hope is an album where I found myself wondering when the first track would end, only to glance down at my iPod to realize that I was already four tracks in.  For all of Vanna’s technical prowess, I can’t recall a single track in passing.  There are a few memorable moments, like the curious little throwback to rock’n roll rhythms found on “Trashmouth,” but that’s because the style change is so wildly different, rather than because of its own merit.

But for all their shortcomings there’s a reason Vanna has a sizeable following.  Vanna’s strength lies in the group’s ability to incorporate melody into a rather haphazard soundscape.  I recently reviewed an album by It Dies Today, a metalcore band much of the same classification, and found issue with the disc jumping back and forth between melodic and hardcore influences.  The result sounded like two records playing in parallel rather than a unified product.  This is where Vanna stands out.  While not terribly unique in style, they have a knack for combining the melodic elements of bands like Taking Back Sundaywith the chaotic song structures of hardcore acts like Awaken Demons.  Tracks like “Where Are We Now” and “Changing Season” are prime examples.  It’s a great talent, making it a shame they can’t harness it to make something with more vision.

After giving A New Hope a few listens I’ve come to conclude Vanna is excellent at being average.  Fans of melodic post-hardcore will likely find a momentary distraction in A New Hope, but I doubt it will be enough to keep them coming back for more.