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Buy It
Tracklisting:
1. Fake
2. Different Someone
3. Closer to Habit
4. Stitches
5. Lost in Your Words
6. Tightrope
7. Immune
8. Lies
9. Misunderstood
10. Instrumental
11. Unknown
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Band Name: Allele
Album Name: Point of Origin
Release Date: 2005-10-25
Label: Corporate Punishment Records
Producer:
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Familiarity breeds contempt and in the case of the music of Allele, many extra-jaded listeners might be inclined to dismiss the project out-of-hand after a small taste this talented new group's highly accessible brand of music. They would be mistaken to do so. This group certainly is not hiding their desire to be accessible, but those that would apply a tag of Nu-metal to the band's sound would be much too far off base in their assessment, There's very little metal influence happening here, with just a touch of the types of sounds that you would hear on a Nu-Metal record and a substantial quality of the type of hook-oriented rock that has been dominating the AOR airwaves for the past decade. So while you can't say that Allele is necessarily a band that could be considered as unique, the fact remains that they are damn good at what they do - playing beefed-up, highly memorable modern rock that stands up very well in comparison to the offerings of their peers.
Kelly Hayes comes to this project after having abruptly left Cold and guitarist Lane Maverick having spent time in initial lineup OTEP as well. That should suit those that are looking for some type of name drop credibility. Allele has put together a batch of highly textured and suitably intense yet compellingly melodic material here that shows the experience of Hayes and Maverick as songwriters. As a guitar team, the duo pulls off soaring melodies and hooks large enough to reel in a whale. Intense harmonies infect the songs of 'Point Of Origin' like a virus, worming their way into every possible nuance on the record and ultimately, it's these hooks that make the album extremely listenable.
Songs like 'A Different Someone' have much more in common with the sound of Bush than they do with Deftones, with elevated vocals of Wally Wood riding high over the top of a big rock assemblage of ringing chords with a confident grace and a substantial amount of passionate emotion. 'A Different Someone' is vivid and invigorating throughout, being one of the most crucial tracks on the record with a formidable presence by Woods. As a vocalist, Woods is acutely dynamic and his voice possesses a warm resonance that makes the song sound larger than life. With the opening cut, 'Fake', you will find Allele at their most aggressive. Screaming vocals are thrown into the mix, so here's your most distinctly metal cut, hands-down.
Allele is focused on going for the big rock score and much of the time they hit their mark. There's no denying that 'Stitches' has everything that those who favor this style would find enticing. Expansive, poignantly melodic and striving toward a sonic locality listeners will immediately pick up on. Drummer Giancarlo Autenzio and Bassist Tim Tobin account for the band's solid rhythms pounding out thick grooves and subtle accents with precision and authority. See 'Tightrope' and 'Lies' for a couple of textbook examples of what this skilled rhythm section can muster up.
What's the bottom line? Allele deliver great songwriting that is relayed with a highly notable level of performance. These tunes will be stuck in many listeners' heads forever and for that fact alone, this record should be considered essential listening. Watch for a tour, a big-budget motion picture and a Lear jet to follow.
Review by: Erin Fox
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