Send "Affiance " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 In today’s music scene it seems bands keep trying and trying to find a way to stand out. Instead of spending time on writing solid songs and then promoting them to no end, they tend to rely more on gimmicks and ‘get rich’ quick schemes to obtain a fan base. And in today’s scene I don’t necessarily blame them because even bands that are extremely talented have problems connecting with the kids who support the scene. However, when a local band from Cleveland boasts about having a synth part in a song done by James Barney (of the Devil Wears Prada), you have to wonder if it’s a joke or a last ditch attempt to bring in their potential fan base. Luckily for Cleveland based Affiance, they still worked hard to try to get somewhere and eventually snagged a tour spot with No Bragging Rights and Across the Sun. The tour ended out well for them as they caught the eye of Bullet Tooth head Josh Grabelle and he promptly signed them to his label.The signing to Bullet Tooth was definitely a risk for the label in this situation. While having a high amount of potential, Affiance is still relatively new and unheard of in most markets. However, Affiance themselves provides hope to local acts throughout the nation pushing as hard as they can. The fact that it took only thirty minutes to impress Grabelle and get them signed should provide some motivation to struggling bands. As for Affiance, their debut full length No Secret Revealed is slightly refreshing, but still not completely there. One of the easiest comparisons to make for Affiance is the comparison to I Am Abomination. In a scene that is in a love affair with breakdowns and screamed vocals, both bands use breakdowns rather sparingly and showcase singers that can flat out sing. Dennis Tvrdik definitely has a voice and knows how to use it throughout the album, ranging from nearly female-esque highs on “the Hive” to rather raspy, yet powerful cleans on songs like “Call to the Warrior.” To be honest, while he can certainly hit a note, his voice might be a turn off to some people who just can’t get into it. And the vocals play such a prominent role here that it’s more or less a buy or sell if you’re on the fence about No Secret Revealed....full text |
| Hardrockhaven |
| For those unfortunate enough to see the film Multiplicity, you may recall that when Michael Keaton cloned himself, each successive clone turned out more and more…well…stupid. As with any metal subgenre that emerges and catches on, it becomes inevitable that millions of clone bands will start to appear, and in a similar fashion, the clones often become more generic, less interesting, and, frankly, stupid. Metalcore has suffered this fate on a global scale due to the seemingly endless number of bands cropping up with the urge to sound (and look) like any number of others, and distinguishing between bands can be virtually impossible. Cleveland’s Affiance is a band that more or less fits this description, yet somehow has managed to create an album that is not only listenable, but actually reasonably good. While it doesn’t break any ground, No Secret Revealed is of high-enough quality to at least keep itself from being a total throwaway. The songs that make up No Secret Revealed are generally high-energy metal romps, with a fair bit of groove thrown in (not entirely unreminiscent of later period Sepultura, groove-wise). What the band absolutely excels at, however, is writing with the mindset that one riff/tempo/groove is not enough to create an interesting song. The tracks feature plenty of tempo and riff changes, which help keep everything moving along and this, in turn, saves the album from being a boring blur. Technically speaking, No Secret Revealed is tight and well performed. It may not be Dream Theater in terms of over-the-top technicality, but the band members are extremely proficient at what they play, which is far from two-note nu-metal. Now, to be fair, many bands are made to sound great via a few clicks of a mouse and some Pro Tools wizardry, but to stay optimistic, we’ll assume that the fixing was minimal. On the less positive side, vocalist Dennis Tvrdik, while technically a talented singer (who relies almost entirely on clean vocals, a rarity in metalcore), has a whine that takes away from the overall intensity of the album. The songs race along, packed with vitality and anger, yet the vocals always seem two seconds away from becoming little more than a cowering figure wailing out “please don’t hurt me.”...full text |
| Indievisionmusic |
| Affiance is a Metal/Rock/Metalcore band that was recently signed to Bullet Tooth records. Out of Cleveland, Ohio they are bringing us their Bullet Tooth Records debut No Secret Revealed. The band’s lyrics range from some brief spiritual topics, as well as some political ideals. The lyrical writing was something I enjoyed out of the album. A majority of this album calls for action, not being complacent and satisfied with the current state of the world. But being concerned with the worlds current state and for us all to have the courage to stand up and fight, to make a change. Affiance offers a positive message of truth and not settling for complacency. They also promote the ideas of standing up for what you believe in, and not giving up. Which I have total respect for that message and applaud the band for sharing it. Unfortunately even though the band has a respectable message, the music is a little lackluster and leaves something to be desired. Dennis Tvrdik is the lead vocalist for Affiance and his vocals range from a straightforward rock voice to a mix of some kind of a gruff/shouty/ yell. These vocals really didn’t do too much for me and came off as a little annoying at times. They are not the worst vocals I have heard before, but at the same time they aren’t mind blowing either. There seemed to be an imbalance of vocal and music levels. I felt at numerous times the vocals would overpower the instruments. I think with the instrument mixed in a little louder or just given some more attention at times than the vocals; it would have given the album a better feel. The musicianship is pretty straightforward and typical of other bands of the genre. There wasn’t really anything that stood out and grabbed my attention. There are a few neat guitar parts here and there but nothing outstanding. The sound overall is not bad but its more of what I would listen to in the background and nothing really that had that wow factor. Sure it doesn’t sound too bad, but the same could be said about numerous other bands. Also there is too much of the same sound and it becomes really familiar track to track. Just by listening to “Call To The Warrior” you get a good idea of the sound you are in for throughout the album. An interesting side note is in the press release the band was compared to having a sound like Haste the Day and TDWP (by the way James Barney from TDWP has a guest apperance on “Dissent”.) Initially I was a little excited by this comparison but after listening to the album I didn’t really see Affiance sound anywhere close to either of those bands. Affiance isn’t as heavy as either of those bands and vocal stylings are completely different. So maybe I’m missing something but that comparison seems pretty far off to me....full text |
Affiance lyrics
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