12th August 2025

Review: “Beware The Snake (Redux)” by Alera

“When Alera said goodbye in 2023, the identity of the band had changed significantly from when the original version of this EP was written and recorded. Neither Corey [Cichowski, guitars] or Tony [Taylor, bass], who had been integral to what Alera had become, were involved in the creation of “Beware The Snake” whatsoever. This redux edition of the ep serves not to be a replacement of the original, but rather to be a different perspective on how this record could be interpreted from the lens of the Alera that we developed into” ~ Alera

One Australia’s best kept secrets, Alera have been something of a revelation in Post-Hardcore, injecting new life into the genre with the storytelling abilities of vocalists Hayden Oakley and Matt Ashley (formerly of To Octavia). The pair make their presence felt over a soundscape best described as a kind of renaissance or revival of the mid-2000’s Post Hardcore sound that drew people to bands like Alexisonfire, Pianos Become The Teeth and Counterparts at that time. A revolving door of musicians helped create that before the band went on hiatus after a nightmarish tour, only to return late last year with single “Bitter Faith“. That was followed three weeks ago by single “Killing For Something” so now to receive the gift that is a reimagined version of their now four year old EP “Beware The Snake” is a Pandora’s box full of curiosities…

…not to mention that for the first time since Metal Noise began in 2017 we’re actually reviewing the reimagined EP having reviewed the original back in November 2021. The lyrical title track “Hirudo (Redux)” opens the record like an artery, spilling bloody, angst filled emotive vocal performances all over the floor. There are obvious comparisons to elements of “There Is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It” by Bring Me The Horizon, the vocal contrasts and highly energetic delivery both big parts of the appeal. This one remains just as hard hitting and melodically tinged as the original and yet seems strangely fresh and effervescent. The intricately delicate melodic lead guitar work of “Bleak (Redux)” feels like the warmth of the morning sun after a night of heated arguments with a lover. A scream-a-long lyrical narrative that makes great use of all the vocal talents at the bands disposal is at the heart of this one and makes all the difference, the chunkier guitar parts giving it a little more aggression when it’s needed. When to comes to earworm leads are there many better than that in “Failure; an Anecdote for Expectations (Redux)” ? Probably not. It’s just infections and helps bring into focus exactly why this band have been a ones often talked about. The pain in the harsh unclean vocals on this one is there for all to hear, the balance between the parts perfectly weighted to allow the almost effeminate clean moments to shine.

From that to moments of blasting from the drums on “SMS [sucré mort séraphin] (Redux)” seems a stretch on paper but works incredibly well, the breakdown on this one straight from the 2023 era Metalcore playbook as the outfit turn up the intensity levels and push their boundaries, particularly in the unclean vocal department. Arguably the heaviest track, it slaps like a woman scorned and will have you coming back for more, especially when they repeat the feat with “My Pain On Paper (Redux)“. The Australian accenting rises to th surface in some of the diction on this one, something that adds to the charm of the record in a world soaked in American accentisms. Believe it or not Alera actually reach Deathcore levels of depravity by the time this one reaches it’s bitter conclusion with repeated raw Death growls of “Stay the f**k away from me!” making for an eye opening and indeed head turning few moments. A return to the sing-a-long stylings at the start of “Testament (Redux)” is to be expected, the vocal layering put to good use to allow the harsh parts to appear underneath the soaring cleans in the mix. Delicate piano could be more prominent in the final moments but it’s a very small thing and ultimately it has to be said that the flow of this record is utterly flawless. Essentially what Alera have done is take the original and smooth the rough edges with some sandpaper, tighten a few bolts and give the whole thing a fresh coat of paint. Over multiple listens the differences rise to the surface in nuance, the melodies having a dreamer quality, the heavier parts hitting that much harder. They’re small things but they soon add up, like the difference between the demo and the final studio rendition. Is it strictly necessary? No, but it is beautiful. [8/10]

Track Listing