Lorien soars with new release ‘Esque’

Lorien, a band of Belmont graduates, has released their long-anticipated debut album, “Esque.” 12^th and Porter teemed on Saturday night for the band’s official CD release show. Lorien shared their night with three opening bands before taking the stage themselves.

Lights criss-crossed and illuminated the spaces between each musician, filling the voids and instilling the air around them with a hazy glow. But, as Lorien began to play, their music, clear and unmistakable, sliced through the fog and reached the audience ringing with dissonant intricacy and strident harmonies.

Each of the members of Lorien – Kaleb Jones, vocals, guitar, Chase Gregory, guitar, David Deaton, bass, Cara Pollock, keys, and Thomas Doeve, drums – spoke at some point over the course of their hour-long set, all expressing gratitude and elation at the completion of such a lengthy and arduous project. However, all of their efforts and energy have paid off in the grandest sense of the phrase.

“Esque” is a milestone for Lorien. From the pioneering nature of the music itself to the purest of its technical elements, “Esque” is huge. Lorien has fused together seamlessly their ambitious sound with their equally sizeable aspirations. They’ve used facets of several divergent genres in order to create a style uniquely theirs.

Lorien employs the soaring, deliberate guitar work and pealing vocals of pop-punk and the lyrical, melodic emphasis of alternative rock to form a combination something like Taking Back Sunday meets Coldplay or Cartel meets U2. “Sowing Bad Seeds,” “Do the Regret,” and “Measurements” are the focus tracks on “Esque,” each memorable and representative of Lorien in its own right.

In a word, “Esque” is ready for radio and better things. To purchase the album, check out Lorien’s MySpace. “Esque” is also available on iTunes.