Current members are Dennis Lee (screaming vocals), Shawn Milke (lead vocals, guitars, piano, synth, keys, programming, string composition), Patrick Thompson (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jeremy Bryan (drums, percussion), Shane Crump (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Jake Campbell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals).
Former members were Adam Ferguson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Steven Tomany (bass), Will Anderson (drums) and Daniel Magnuson (drums).
Shawn's sister Melissa Milke takes over the female vocal parts throughout every Alesana album without being officially part of the band.
On Alesana's third studio album "The Emptiness" Adam Fisher of Fear Before contributed the spoken words throughout the album.
Catharsis
Alesana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please take your seats
This is the moment that you've been waiting for
This is gonna be a wild ride
Your telltale heart is beating, unstable minds descend
I'm through trying to reach you, I am the emptiness
Our love will nevermore attach your soul to mine
And time is running out
Do not believe in imitations
We have to crave a masterpiece beneath the ink
We're falling for the fiction
There's more than meets the eye
The end is dawning
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
I'm resisting reality
I remember when, my love
You could stop time with just a smile
Save it for tomorrow, my love
I'll regret those words forever more
I danced with our accuser, murderer from the start
Climbed out of Tartarus for one last night with you
You don't understand we are poetry now, baby
But time is running out
Do not believe in imitations
We have to crave a masterpiece beneath the ink
We're falling for the fiction
There's more than meets the eye
The end is dawning
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
I'm resisting reality
I remember when, my love
You could stop time with just a smile
Save it for tomorrow, my love
I'll regret those words forever more
The end is dawning
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
I must be dreaming
I drop the knife
Turn and see you
You can't be me
I can't be you
Oh my God, where am I
Let me go, let me go
Save me from this nightmare
Annabel, I can not be lying there
My 'Bel, you know you're the cause of this
If you had not left me then he would not have lost his mind
If you're seeking forgiveness you have come to the wrong place
The compass spins
What's that feeling in your stomach
First a flutter now a shudder
Creeping up your spine and now you know that something's not right
Something lurking something peering inching closer inching closer
Trying not to think about it trying not to think about it
It's here
Foregrounds burst to nothing
As symmetry explodes
The artist screams and beauty dies, his canvas rends
While his easel burns
He's lost everything in but one cruel instant existence swept away
Did man even notice as he was erased
The song Catharsis by Alesana is a theatrical and dramatic piece with a storyline of two characters named Annabel and the singer. The song is divided into two parts, and this final part takes the turn for an intense and chaotic ending. The song opens with the singer addressing the audience to take their seats as they gear up for the final act. He explains that he is the emptiness and has given up trying to reach his unstable partner, Annabel. He talks about love being irrelevant and that time is on his side. The lyrics tell us that the end is swiftly approaching, and the audience needs to be ready for a wild ride.
In the second part, the singer reminds Annabel that they are poetry, and there is much more than what meets the eye. As they are lost in this world of fiction, the end is dawning, and everything is coming to a close. Time is running out, and this is the last chance to remember when they were happy together, and Annabel could "stop time with just a smile." The song ends with the singer realizing that he has killed Annabel, and he's lying next to her as he drops the knife. He cannot believe what he has done.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the final act
The end is near
Please take your seats
Get ready for what's about to happen
This is the moment that you've been waiting for
This is the climax
This is gonna be a wild ride
This is going to be intense
Your telltale heart is beating, unstable minds descend
Your heart is racing, and your thoughts are not stable
I'm through trying to reach you, I am the emptiness
I don't want to reach you anymore, I am empty
Our love will nevermore attach your soul to mine
Our love will never bring us together
You don't understand, time is on my side now baby
You don't get it, time is in my favor
And time is running out
We don't have much time left
Do not believe in imitations
Don't be fooled by fakes
We have to crave a masterpiece beneath the ink
We need to seek out great works of art
We're falling for the fiction
We're believing in something that's not true
There's more than meets the eye
There's more to this than we realize
The end is dawning
The end is coming
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
The day is ending, and there's a sense of sadness
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
Our fates are coming together in a way that defies time and space
I'm resisting reality
I don't want to accept what's happening
I remember when, my love
I think back to a time when things were different
You could stop time with just a smile
Your smile was so powerful it felt like time stood still
Save it for tomorrow, my love
Don't waste your time or emotions worrying about today
I'll regret those words forever more
I'll always regret what I said or didn't say
I danced with our accuser, murderer from the start
I've been in cahoots with someone who's been working against us from the beginning
Climbed out of Tartarus for one last night with you
I went through hell to be with you for one more night
We are poetry now, baby
We are a work of art, together
But time is running out
We're almost out of time
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Have you ever truly looked at yourself
I must be dreaming
This can't be real
I drop the knife
I'm no longer a threat
Turn and see you
I look at you
You can't be me
We're not the same
I can't be you
We're not interchangeable
Oh my God, where am I
I'm lost and confused
Let me go, let me go
I want to escape
Save me from this nightmare
Get me out of here
Annabel, I can not be lying there
I can't be the one who's dead
My 'Bel, you know you're the cause of this
You're the reason this happened, Annabel
If you had not left me then he would not have lost his mind
If you hadn't left, things wouldn't have gone so wrong
If you're seeking forgiveness you have come to the wrong place
I can't forgive you for what happened
The compass spins
Things are getting chaotic
What's that feeling in your stomach
There's a sense of dread
First a flutter now a shudder
At first there was a feeling of excitement, now it's fear
Creeping up your spine and now you know that something's not right
It's starting to feel like something bad is going to happen
Something lurking something peering inching closer inching closer
Something dangerous is getting closer
Trying not to think about it trying not to think about it
I'm trying to keep my composure
It's here
Whatever was coming has arrived
Foregrounds burst to nothing
Things that were always there suddenly disappear
As symmetry explodes
Things start to shift and change dramatically
The artist screams and beauty dies, his canvas rends
The creator feels immense pain as their beautiful creation falls apart
While his easel burns
The source of the art is consumed by flames
He's lost everything in but one cruel instant existence swept away
Everything he had is gone in an instant
Did man even notice as he was erased
Did anyone even care or notice when he was gone
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DENNIS LEE, JEREMY BRYAN, PATRICK THOMPSON, SHANE DONOVAN CRUMP, SHAWN MILKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ilham Satria
This is the final act
Please take your seats
This is the moment that you've been waiting for
This is gonna be a wild ride
Your telltale heart is beating, unstable minds descend
I'm through trying to reach you, I am the emptiness
Our love will nevermore attach your soul to mine
You don't understand, time is on my side now baby
And time is running out
Do not believe in imitations
We're falling for the fiction
We have to crave a masterpiece beneath the ink
There's more than meets the eye
The end is dawning
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
I'm resisting reality
I remember when, my love
You could stop time with just a smile
Save it for tomorrow, my love
I'll regret those words forever more
I danced with our accuser, murderer from the start
Climbed out of Tartarus for one last night with you
You don't understand we are poetry now, baby
But time is running out
Do not believe in imitations
We're falling for the fiction
We have to crave a masterpiece beneath the ink
There's more than meets the eye
The end is dawning
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
I'm resisting reality
I remember when, my love
You could stop time with just a smile
Save it for tomorrow, my love
I'll regret those words forever more
I remember when, my love
You could stop time with just a smile
(Our stars aligning as universes shatter time) save it for tomorrow, my love
I'll regret those words forever more
The end is dawning
The sun is setting on a silent mourning
Our stars aligning as universes shatter time
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
I must be dreaming
I drop the knife
Turn and see you
You can't be me
I can't be you
Oh my God, where am I
Let me go, let me go
Save me from this nightmare
Annabel, I cannot be lying there
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah
My 'Bel, you know you're the cause of this
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah
If you had not left me then
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah
He would not have lost his mind
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah
If you're seeking forgiveness you have come to the wrong place
The compass spins
What's that feeling in your stomach
First a flutter now a shudder
Creeping up your spine, and now you know that something's not right
Something lurking something peering inching closer, inching closer
Trying not to think about it trying not to think about it
It's here
Foregrounds burst to nothing
As symmetry explodes
The artist screams and beauty dies, his canvas rends
While his easel burns
He's lost everything in, but one cruel instant existence swept away
Did man even notice as he was erased
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Have you ever actually seen yourself without a mirror
Megamarod
"Foregrounds burst to nothing
As symmetry explodes
The Artist screams and beauty dies, his canvas rends
While his easel burns
He's lost everything in but one cruel instant existence swept away
Did man even notice as he was erased?"
Clearly not a happy ending.
Bloody Reddy
Well, this is my theory (I do really like to discuss this) Sorry for my bad english.
I will begin now:
Annabel and The thespian were a normal pair. Annabel was starting to see her beloved were becoming crazy by being so obssesed with his draws, making a world in his canvas. That's why:
"A mirror never lies.
They know.
Everybody knows.
Do you not see what they see?
A mirror never lies.
I see what they see. Everybody knows. Everybody knows"
Annabel knew he will become sick and insane if he still obssesed with his creation because she an everybody saw how he become more sick through the pass of the years.
Then, the artist appears. The artist knew if the Thespian hears Annabel and let go his creation he probably dissapear so The Artist saw Annabel like a dangerous fact for him. The artist, seeing this, start to talk to his creator, The thespian making him drive crazy and saying to him that his Annabel were bad, The artist was trying to persuade The thespian to make him eliminate the only thing who threat his existance, his Annabel.
Maybe Fatima/Rusalka (The future Annabel) came back in time to stop the Thespian to kill Annabel because if he kills her, they will be trapped in a endless loop of revive and death.
The artist knew he will born later in the same timeline of Fatima/Rusalka if she cames back to 1897 and tries to stop The Thespian of Kill Annabel, so The artist try to stop Fatima/Rusalka.
When she cames, The artist fights with Fatima/Rusalka and makes her stabs herself with her own knife, that event distorts the time making Annabel die while she was sleeping and making Fatima/Rusalka dissapear of that timeline. (1897, were happens The emptiness album)
(Yes, Annabel die again, so Fatima/Rusalka born again in her timeline. Remember, if Annabel die in her timeline 1897 were happens The emptiness, Fatima/Rusalka will born in the future were happens The Confessions album)
The artist was satisfied cause Annabel was dead finally and Rusalka did not stop him, but what he didn't know was if Annabel dies, Rusalka will born and try again and again to came back in time to avoid the Annabel's dead.
That's why The thespian wake up and saw her lover dead in they bed, he saw all the blood splashed in his clothes and bedroom so he thinks he kill his Annabel, that's why he become mad. And then here is the question
"If he did not kill her, Why he felt so good and get a pleasure by kill people?" Because The artist was the only one who enjoys that, not The Thespian.
Anyways, the woman who he saw, who he thinks was his beloved Annabel, was Fatima/Rusalka who was trying to end with The Artist.
(The artist were the only reason of why The Thespian and Annabel were trapped in a loop trying and trying to found themselves in the wood (The A Place Were the Sun Is Silent album) and yes, that wood was a recreation of the circles of hell)
In the song "Annabel" Fatima/Rusalka finally kills The artist, but she had to kill The thespian too because they were one and she could not came more back in time
(Cause if she appears and Annabel saw her, the time will splitted up) and thinks everything was over.
But no. Fatima/Rusalka just begin another problem in time, the fact what she did not know was ANNABEL HAVE TO DIE IN THE HANDS OF THE ARTIST TO BORN AGAIN (In Fatima/Rusalka) so her lover (The Thespian)will suicide by thinking he killed his only true love then he will born again and free her finally and then they will "Go to the light"
"Somewhere between the chaos and the void
in a desert that predates time itself,
bereft of stars and untouched by the Gods of man.
There was only one. There was only her."
Fatima/Rusalka in a thirst of answers she reach a early conclusion, that was her reason to exist was fix her past life and once fixed she will finally be free, get out of that place and rest in peace, basically.
"Born out of nothingness, defined by beauty and patience.
A tortured existence which leaves behind no answers.
Destined to suffer the struggle
cursed to be one of them, to be both of them.
Fatima. Rusalka."
And, What was the problem who Fatima/Rusalka begins? Well, killing The Thespian when he will not was supposed to die will split up he and make The artist an autonomous existance who will haunt they.
Then, The Thespian 2.0 (xD) will try to came back in time and stop The Thespian 1.0 of kill Annabel.
(The Thespian never knew about the thrut, he still thinks he kills his Annabel and he was trapped by that.)
When Fatima/Rusalka notice about her mistake, she tries to find The Thespian 2.0 and try to stop him of came back in time. The Artist, as a autonomous existance, convince The Thespian 2.0 about Fatima/Rusalka was dangerous and he must stay away from her. (Basically most of the Confessions song talks about how bad is Fatima/Rusalka, well maybe a lot of parts)
The Thespian came back in time trying to chase his lover (Annabel) to save her and Fatima/Rusalka chase him, so they appear in the bedroom where everything happened in 1897 and saw everything through the mirror, saw how everything happens and how The Thespian was innocent and The Artist makes Fatima/Rusalka kills herself so in a action-reaction Annabel dies too.
(That why Paradox song exists...)
Fatima/Rusalka and The thespian 2.0 understands they have to leave the things go alone and the time has to flow, understands how they in a fail try to fix everything just make all the things more complicated.
They understands they have The Artist kill Annabel in 1897 to make Fatima/Rusalka born and later be released by The Thespian 2.0 then together ascend.
(This is when Comedy of Errors happens...)
Finally The Thespian 2.0 promise Fatima/Rusalka he will find her in the future and release her, Fatima/Rusalka promise to the Thespian 2.0 she will wait for him.
So they came back in time for one last time to do everything again, but this time they will not make a mistake.
"Until we meet again, Ciao Bella"
(This is when Ciao, bella happens)
And then, everything happens again, but this time, happens how will have to.
(Sorry for the holy bible i have writed here xD and my bad english)
Jane Doe
***** (always me, thanks again google/youtube)
Ok that's my interpretation of the whole trilogy and it seems lacking of nothing.
As everybody knows, "A place where the sun is silent" is a prequel of "The emptiness" BUT not of "Confessions". Better, the events of APWTSIS occurr after The Martyr, Paradox, Through the eyes of Uriel and Catharsis. Let me explain better what (I think) happened:
In the very beginning we have only 2 characters: The Acolyte and Annabel. They spend their existence together but Annabel is ill, she suffers kinda of a bipolar disorder (Fatima-Rusalka) and their life together wilts as the time flows. The Acolyte saw the change in her eyes, he knows she's sick but he stays till the end, the day where Fatima (the sweet part of Annabel) decides to change everything, building a time machine and rewriting history between her and him. We can definitely see the struggle between them in the first two/three songs of Confessions, where Alesana describe everything as decayed, like when 2 persons stay together without any apparent reason, just because of routine, empty dialogues (and in this case also because of her madness growing stronger). Annabel feels responsible of everything so she tries to go back trying to save Acolyte's existence.
As Shawn declared in an interview, we see Annabel exploring different realities (The Goddess) till she remains stuck in the tesseract (Oh how the mighty have fallen) and questions herself about what she feels, what's the purpose of her journey; because, as everyone knows, dealing with feelings make people frail and full of doubts. So, what's the best way to make the torture end? Does "the best way" exist? Anyway, driven by love/lust, she decides to have a last night with The Artist (in The Martyr) before the "past" Annabel comes in. So, wait, who's The Artist? No one but The Acolyte in the past.
As he falls fast asleep, Fatima and Rusalka (the two personalities of Annabel) start a fight where Rusalka claims to want more than that, like when someone lays in bed, thinking about his own life, his purpose and so on. I mean, that girl can travel in time and space, should she really stay? She could have more than his true love, she can travel everywhere, but what does she want? She doesn't know, she struggles with his purest desires (Through the eyes of Uriel) and maybe it's time to go away, to bring The Artist with her, to leave him alone, to do something. But it's too late, as the other Annabel enters the room (Catharsis) and Rusalka kills her.
That explains why in The Emptiness we hear The Artist talking about waking up besides his love whom was awake when he closed the eyes. So, welcome in The Emptiness, when we see him becoming mad because... Well, how can he ever figure out what happened? He really goes insane, questioning himself about her love's death (Curse of the virgin canvas/The Artist) and begging her corpse to came back (A lunatic's lament). But it won't happen so here we go with madness, where he enters a tavern and kill everyone inside there (The Murderer). I also wanna add that his madness is supported by the dream he had in the whole APWTSIS where he saw everything like a premonition, because... well, everything happened, in another dimension. For example, in The Fiend the first two lines are about the time traveling machine ("Blessed smoke bellows from the beast!
Bow to the gears and worship the machine!") so... try to wake up with your love dead beside you after you dreamt everything already. Will you remain sane? I doubt it. Still, he also has the fear that Annabel killed herself somehow (and he's right), that's why he says "My heart belongs to the one I am chasing after" in Heavy hangs the albatross, the song where he's planning suicide. The same song where the time traveler Annabel reveals herself, shocking him.
He doesn't know how to react, first begging her to stay (The Lover) and then being filled with fears ("What if my heart breaks again?"), deciding, in the end, to kill her (In her tomb by the sounding sea) while she's begging him to understand what she'd done. He doesn't wanna listen so Rusalka takes her place telling him to have the guts to kill her, that he doesn't comprehend what she'd been through (To be scared by an owl).
And, well... everybody knows how it ends in Annabel.
A sad story about reassembling old times, failing and making them worse.
1) Thanks if you read all of this: I know it's bad because is only a cold summary and I could have gone deeper with each song, but... I don't wanna write a huge wall of text, plus, shades are better when nobody explains them to you.
2) I fell in love with this trilogy so bad that I'm also representing some of the chapters on paper (well, photoshop ahah). I knew that Alesana was looking for someone to illustrate their stories and, if that place is still vacant, I'd be really glad to help them because I've spent years listening to their songs, also before the whole Annabel trilogy, learning songs like The third temptation of Paris or As you wish on piano. And I guess I have to thank my ex girlfriend ahahah. If you wanna check some, here you are The Goddess https://goo.gl/U3SmgY and The Martyr (VM18) http://fav.me/d8xsmax soooo... if this post would ever reach them... notice me senpai (?)
3) Last but not least, sorry for any english mistake
blindskaterguy
I absolutely love catharsis, It truly was a wild ride lol. This song really brought the trillogy together for me. And let's not forget the shoutouts to Poe! "Your telltale heart is beating" "Our love will nevermore attach your soul to mine" I simply can't get enough of "Confessions". This entire album is golden guys, bravo!
tris !!
this is a lyrical masterpiece. every song is. alesana has so much talent and even though i dont listen to this genre anymore, alesana will always remain one of my favorite bands.
David Doroteo
Same. I found myself listening to classic metal songs from the 70s-90s. Been years since I heard this band. They will always he #1.
Rubén Nuñez
Esta es una de mis favoritas de este album :') <3
thelastscion92
Am I the only one who thinks that this band epically transposes the mind and soul of the great poet Edgar Allen Poe into a modernistic hardcore form? Just saying, their are more than one remastered(keyword) of his poems on their discography. Love this band and their music, and I've been a long time supporter. Good to see were not all dead...
Cecilia Mercado
that's why i love this band so much! they have created a masterpiece with poe's work in their own way X]
Praise The True Most High
You're not the only one c: <3
Sydney Blackbourn
Damn I love reading everyone's theories regarding the Trilogy, it's so interesting even though it is kinda confusing haha. I have loved Alesana for a long time, and it's great that they still maintain that same unique sound and style years later. It's crazy good. It's also just so fucking cool how these 3 albums can all be tied together to tell an epic story, not just a story told in 1 album, but throughout THREE. That's some craftsmanship right there and seeing everyone's own interpretation of it is equally as rad. It takes some massive skill and creativity to be able to come up with something like this, so massive props to them. TLDR; Alesana fucking rocks.
Stick Man
In "Through the Eyes of Uriel" there's this verse "I am a ticking time bomb" and this song starts with a clock ticking then he says "This is the final act!" So awesome !
There's a verse "I fear the emptiness will swallow me hole" in "Fatal Optimist" and in this song there's "I am the emptiness". These guys are amazing !
Luis Marquez
I just simply love this album a lot! First I thought no Alesana album could top "Where Myths Fades to Legends" or "the Emptiness". But this album, it is the best thing ever created. This is pure art and literature. Alesana is pure art and totally unique from the genre. I hope their following album will be as good as "Confessions" or maybe they will start with another trilogy, who knows. Let's just wait and see what Alesana will bring to us. Perfect! Definitely going to buy the album on Tuesday.