It's now time for our 180th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we complete
fifteen years of reviewing heavier/punk albums every month without fail! This month, we are looking at local skate punk trio
Vanity First's second CD and first non-demo release
"Identity Crisis", which was released to major streaming platforms and physically via
MorningStar Records on April 20th! Effectively an expanded re-recording of
their 2022 "Vanity" demo, it features re-recordings of each song (except
"Breathe") at their own Studio 702, alongside four newly recorded original tracks. Vanity First are represented here by singer/bassist Andrew Beggs (replacing Nick McClelland from the 2022 demo on bass here), guitarist Mikhal Muto (who produced the album and sings lead on three songs), and drummer Keeghan McAllister. Despite playing at the release concert at
Soo Blaster, part-time(?) guitarist Carmen Muto is not on the album.
As hyped in this MorningStar Records promotional piece, "Identity Crisis" is on sale via Kunaki's print-on-demand method on CD ($10) or vinyl ($40) at this link, though I cannot confirm local in-store availability. You can stream it on all streaming platforms Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Deezer, with Amazon and iTunes selling it via mp3 download for $8.91 apiece. As I have reviewed the "Vanity" demo already for the SMS, I won't re-review the five re-recorded songs here, but I will compare and contrast the new versions with the originals. With nine songs running for about 28 minutes, let's begin this month's CD review!
Like the 2022 demo, "Identity Crisis" leads off with
"Hard Feelings", which is relatively similar to the original but with much rangier and better harmonized vocals, as well as a slightly faster tempo and a new spoken word intro about
quite a scenario about walking through a cornfield. The crisper production is evident, and just upgrading the lyrics with screaming and more distinct backing vocals improves things! This is still a fun choice of opening song for skate punk fans, and it benefited from being revised for this album! The first brand new song (and first with Mikhal on lead vocals) is next, namely
"Off With Their Heads", which they jokingly described as "the most hilariously inaccurate viking song". If not for Mikhal's distinctive emo-esque tone of voice (Agnosticism fans, take note), this would easily fit in metal playlists with its galloping power metal riffs! The guitar solo is also welcomed.
I will say that it's a little repetitive by the end, as the base melody never really changes throughout the 3+ minute runtime, but if you like your Vanity a little heavier, this will do the trick, and it's a solid early highlight! Third here and on the 2022 demo is "Empty Home", which is also played at a faster tempo here, so much that it usurped "Hard Feelings" as the album's shortest song. That said, the 2024 version is closer in structure and approach to the original, only really differing musically via more aggressive backing vocals, so fans of the prior straightforward punk attack will get more of the same via the re-recording! Next is the second brand new song, "When I Fall", which Mikhal also sings lead vocals on. If you want something more punk-centric with Mikhal on vocals, this will do the trick very nicely!
If we're being honest, I think Andrew's vocal style fits skate punk better than Mikhal's, but his emo-influenced singing will appeal to genre fans, and the song still has a lively up-tempo nature that is relatively timeless as modern punk goes, and Keeghan's drumming is particularly good here, so "When I Fall" will be quite easy to get into, even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel! Track #5 here was track #4 on the 2022 demo, namely
"Black Flies", which is basically a straight re-recording (not really any faster) but more intricate guitar work and stronger backing vocals, including some screaming. I liked this song for its structural variance that allowed the guys to show their skills moreso with a 1980s retro vibe at points, and the updated version here is an improvement all around! We break from the alternating pattern of old and new songs next via the revision of
"Playboy Magazine", which was track #2 on the 2022 demo.
The final song here with Mikhal on vocals (and the only one with Keeghan as a co-writer), and it retains an identical structure and mostly benefits from the boosted production quality. All three of Mikhal's lead vocal tracks are different from each other, so fans of power pop and indie rock will still take to this one and it's more direct lyrics, but aside from the opening verse being too processed, this is an improvement all around from the 2022 version, particularly benefiting with stronger backing vocals! Still a little too laid back compared to what I like from this band though. Andrew sings lead the rest of the way, including on the next two brand new songs for "Identity Crisis", starting with its longest song, "Get Out", which opens with more cornfield talk like on "Hard Feelings (I must have missed the in-joke here!)
The most metal song on offer for the Andrew-sung tracks, this has shouted verses and clean choruses, the latter of which remind me a bit of Avenged Sevenfold. To a point, I think the guys handle punk better, but it is nice to see them spreading their wings stylistically, and this might be Andrew's best performance on bass so far! Not a bad hard rock song that doesn't get repetitive despite its length, so fans looking for something not as punky should give this a listen! The penultimate song (and final new cut) is the partially eponymous
"Habitual Vanity", another song that stretches from their skate punk base with a darker and more melodic sound, and while I do think that punk suits them more, this is a cool sound with effective use of vocals, strong bass, and a good structure that keeps things moving at a slightly ominous clip! I'd have went a little heavier with it, but it's another good change of pace for (Habitual) Vanity First!
The album closes with the last re-recording, "White Ghosts", which is similar to the original aside from better production, more varied vocals, and a faster conclusion for the ending guitar solo to come in. Like the original, I wish this ran longer, but the production upgrades accentuate this strong closer to the album that brings things back on a punk track for fans!
So, what are my final thoughts on Vanity First's new CD? Overall, this is a strong update that better realizes their earlier songs and adds some entertaining new material to fill things out, which point to a promising future for them! At its core, it's an expanded remake of the "Vanity" demo (sans "Breathe"), and all five returning songs maintain their original structure and integrity while benefiting from the new production, more aggressive backing vocals, and sometimes faster pacing, so if you liked that demo, almost everything carried over is the same or better! Of the four new songs, it felt to me like Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan wanted to show what they could do beyond skate punk, as only "When I Fall" of those four songs really feels like it could have fit on the 2022 demo. The guys have range and it'd be interesting to see what sound(s) direct their next studio effort! Andrew's bass work does the job well here also.
No song is bad here, especially the punk-leaning ones, but I would like to hear a few more guitar solos, and Mikhal's vocals are trickier to have fit certain subgenres without going full emo. I'd also have re-recorded "Breathe" here, as it would further highlight their musical variety, and they had plenty of room for it on the physical copies. If you liked the "Vanity" demo, you'll absolutely like "Identity Crisis", so be sure to buy or stream it at the above links! As for our next CD review at the SMS, we'll kick off year #16 of album reviews (wow) with our third straight review of a Mikhal Muto project's album, namely his new hardcore punk solo project
Choking On Appendages' debut EP
"Macabre"! Our anti-bias buffer period between reviews of the same artist doesn't apply to multiple bands from the same musician, hence the trifecta. We haven't even talked about this project on the site yet, so stay tuned for that and more next month! Thanks everyone!
