Vanity (album)
Encyclopedia
Vanity is the third full length studio album to be released by metalcore
band Eighteen Visions
. It was their first album to feature a music video, which was for "You Broke Like Glass
". It was the last album to feature guitarist Brandan Schieppati
as he left immediately after the recording of the album to focus on Bleeding Through
. The band toured for the album with a single guitarist, Keith Barney. As of 2007, the album has sold over 100,000 copies in the United States.
Most critics and fans consider Vanity to be their final metalcore album, the band moving towards a more post-hardcore sound after this. It should however be noted that the band considered this change to have begun prior to this album, with the recording of "Motionless and White
" which was featured on The Best of Eighteen Visions
the year before. Hart's improved vocal style lead the band to write more melodic song structure rather than their previous technical metalcore compositions.
also released a 12" pictured vinyl limited to 1000 copies.
The album was re-issued on January 25, 2005 as part of Trustkill Records re-issue calendar (which also saw Bleeding Through's This is Love, This is Murderous
get the same treatment simultaneously). It featured new artwork and the album now had an enhanced video section which included the music video for You Broke Like Glass
, the only single from the album. This also provided a chance for the track listing to be fixed, as the song "There is Always" was left off on the original CD covers of the album. It should however be noted that the picture LP released by Good Life does not feature the listing of either "interludes" on the album, "The Notes of My Reflection" and "There is Always". The possibilities that "The Notes of My Reflection" was actually mistakenly left on the track listing is often wondered. Nevertheless, both interludes are listed on the reissues' track listing.
A quote from the film River's Edge
, released in 1985, is the intro of the song "One Hell of a Prize Fighter". Such is the same case for the song "The Critic" which is taken from the film Fast Times At Ridgemont High
(1982). "There is Always" is a remake of the theme from the original The Manchurian Candidate
from 1962. The band also got the name "Sonic Death Monkey" from the band which Jack Black
plays with in the film High Fidelity
.
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band Eighteen Visions
Eighteen Visions
Eighteen Visions was an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, United States. Formed in October of 1995, the group was one of the first practitioners involved in the metalcore genre...
. It was their first album to feature a music video, which was for "You Broke Like Glass
You Broke Like Glass
You Broke Like Glass was Eighteen Visions' first single and music video. It was directed by Christopher Sims, and got much airplay of MTV's Headbangers Ball, which got the band started to their now stardom, and can be credited for making Trustkill Records a semi-major label. The video was...
". It was the last album to feature guitarist Brandan Schieppati
Brandan Schieppati
Brandan Schieppati is the singer of metalcore band Bleeding Through. He is Straight Edge and lives in Orange County with his wife Nicole. While best known through his musical career, he was also a late-round draft pick for Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos out of high school, around 1998...
as he left immediately after the recording of the album to focus on Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California. Formed in 1999, the band blends influences stemming from modern hardcore punk, symphonic black metal, and melodic death metal...
. The band toured for the album with a single guitarist, Keith Barney. As of 2007, the album has sold over 100,000 copies in the United States.
Most critics and fans consider Vanity to be their final metalcore album, the band moving towards a more post-hardcore sound after this. It should however be noted that the band considered this change to have begun prior to this album, with the recording of "Motionless and White
Motionless and White
"Motionless and White" is a song by Eighteen Visions, and was the final single from The Best of Eighteen Visions. "Motionless and White" became a popular underground hit in parts of the UK and Western Australia, but undoubtedly the most successful in California, it ended up peaking #98 on the US...
" which was featured on The Best of Eighteen Visions
The Best Of Eighteen Visions
The Best of Eighteen Visions is a compilation album by metalcore band Eighteen Visions. It compiles two songs from their first EP Lifeless, five songs from their full length album Yesterday Is Time Killed and the three songs from the 7-inch record No Time for Love, as well as a newly written song...
the year before. Hart's improved vocal style lead the band to write more melodic song structure rather than their previous technical metalcore compositions.
Album versions
To promote the release of the album, Trustkill also issued a 7" single, which included the title track, "Vanity", and the then considered single "I Don't Mind". The 7" was pressed in quantities of 1000 each on red and white, and 200 on pink. Good Life RecordingsGood Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...
also released a 12" pictured vinyl limited to 1000 copies.
The album was re-issued on January 25, 2005 as part of Trustkill Records re-issue calendar (which also saw Bleeding Through's This is Love, This is Murderous
This Is Love, This Is Murderous
This Is Love, This Is Murderous is the third album by American metalcore band Bleeding Through released in 2003. It is their Trustkill Records debut...
get the same treatment simultaneously). It featured new artwork and the album now had an enhanced video section which included the music video for You Broke Like Glass
You Broke Like Glass
You Broke Like Glass was Eighteen Visions' first single and music video. It was directed by Christopher Sims, and got much airplay of MTV's Headbangers Ball, which got the band started to their now stardom, and can be credited for making Trustkill Records a semi-major label. The video was...
, the only single from the album. This also provided a chance for the track listing to be fixed, as the song "There is Always" was left off on the original CD covers of the album. It should however be noted that the picture LP released by Good Life does not feature the listing of either "interludes" on the album, "The Notes of My Reflection" and "There is Always". The possibilities that "The Notes of My Reflection" was actually mistakenly left on the track listing is often wondered. Nevertheless, both interludes are listed on the reissues' track listing.
Film references
As with most records by 18 Visions, there are a multitude of movie quotes on the album. This would however be the final album to feature some (no doubt because the following two albums would be co-distributed by Sony, and would not allow the band to be given the chance to run into possible legal debates).A quote from the film River's Edge
River's Edge
River's Edge is a 1986 American drama film written by Neal Jimenez and starring Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Daniel Roebuck, and Dennis Hopper.It was awarded Best Picture from the Independent Spirit Awards in 1986.- Plot :...
, released in 1985, is the intro of the song "One Hell of a Prize Fighter". Such is the same case for the song "The Critic" which is taken from the film Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
(1982). "There is Always" is a remake of the theme from the original The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)
The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 American Cold War political thriller film starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury, and featuring Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish and John McGiver...
from 1962. The band also got the name "Sonic Death Monkey" from the band which Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
plays with in the film High Fidelity
High Fidelity (film)
High Fidelity is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack and the Danish actress Iben Hjejle. The film is based on the 1995 British novel of the same name by Nick Hornby, with the setting moved from London to Chicago and the name of the lead character...
.
Track listing
- "Vanity" (5:46)
- "Fashion Show" (4:13)
- "One Hell of a Prize Fighter" (5:14)
- "I Don't Mind" (4:38)
- "The Notes of My Reflection" (1:36)
- "A Short Walk Down a Long Hallway" (4:17)
- "The Critic" (4:19)
- "GorgeousGorgeous (song)"Gorgeous" is a song by Eighteen Visions. It was written and performed entirely by then-drummer Ken Floyd. "Gorgeous" was very different from the rest of the tracks featured on the record, which was composed of heavy metal riffs, melodic choruses and vicious screams, it was instead a melodic ballad....
" (2:52) - "You Broke Like GlassYou Broke Like GlassYou Broke Like Glass was Eighteen Visions' first single and music video. It was directed by Christopher Sims, and got much airplay of MTV's Headbangers Ball, which got the band started to their now stardom, and can be credited for making Trustkill Records a semi-major label. The video was...
" (3:08) - "In the Closet" (3:16)
- "Sonic Death Monkey" (5:21)
- "There is Always" (1:41)
- "Love in Autumn" (13:33)
Credits
- JimmyJames Stephen HartJames Stephen Hart is the lead singer of the band Burn Halo and was the lead singer and founding member of the rock band Eighteen Visions.-Eighteen Visions:...
- vocals - HeavyKeith BarneyKeith Barney is best known as the original singer of Throwdown and the guitarist of Eighteen Visions. Hailing from Laguna Niguel, CA, he began his career as a musician by playing guitar in Adamantium. While a member of Adamantium, he formed Throwdown, and played guitar for Death By Stereo...
- guitar, additional vocals - SheepBrandan SchieppatiBrandan Schieppati is the singer of metalcore band Bleeding Through. He is Straight Edge and lives in Orange County with his wife Nicole. While best known through his musical career, he was also a late-round draft pick for Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos out of high school, around 1998...
- guitar - Jagger - bass
- K Flo - drums; guitar and vocals on track 8
- Greg Koller - producer, engineer
- Howard JonesHoward Jones (heavy metal musician)Howard Jones is an American lead singer for the band Killswitch Engage. He was also the lead singer of Blood Has Been Shed before moving onto Killswitch Engage.-Blood Has Been Shed:*I Dwell on Thoughts of You...
- additional vocals on track 3 - Corey Darst - additional vocals on track 6
- Alex Vaz - additional vocals on track 7
- Ryan Downey - additional vocals on track 11
- John Lacroix - layout and design