One of Epitaph records newest signings is a band from Boston that goes by the name of Vanna. Other Epitaph bands include Hot Water Music, Motion City Soundtrack, and Some Girls (to name a few). After having a couple of conversations with the bands screamer, Joe Bragel, we decided that I would review the bands music with blatant honesty. So, here it goes.

In my opinion, Vanna is very much an emocore band. They have a mixture of screaming with melodic vocals, incorporated with catchy guitar riffs. Their lyrics are as bloody as they are heartfelt (at least on This Will Be Our Little Secret), While it isn’t something I would consider overly heavy, I can see a wide variety of kids getting into their music regardless, which is probably what Epitaph was thinking as well.

“Dead Language For a Dying Lady” has a perfect balance of singing and screaming (the two layer each other more than they switch off) with the catchy ending of melodic gang vocals, which allows the kids at their shows to really get into the song. This is easily my favorite of the three songs. It brings more focus onto the singing, which is clear and steady, and (dare I say) pretty. The screaming is a good backing, but it isn’t strong enough to be really predominant in their music, although they try to spotlight it in their new song “Heavens to Betsy”. Through this song, it appears that they are trying to stray from the clean vocals to move towards a heavier, harder sound. “I Am the Wind” is a lot more like “Dead Language” with a feel that is similar to Funeral For A Friend (Ferret/Atlantic Records).

Vanna has the potential to do great things with their music, and they are well on their way to reaching it in full. They’re definitely worth giving a listen to. Check them out on their myspace account, give them some feedback, and check out their shows section and show them your support.

-Lalz