Escape the Fate has really been three different bands who just happen to share the same name. The first group was founded in Las Vegas circa 2005 as intentionally cartoonish horror rockers a la Danzig and Marilyn Manson. They seemed to quickly tire of powdering their faces and downtuning their guitars and evolved – or at least tried to – into stadium album rockers along the lines of Metallica and Iron Maiden. Their grasp somewhat exceeded their reach, however. By trading in the screaming vocals for one-size-fits-all radio rock, the second version of Escape the Fate ended up closer to fairground jokers like Anvil and Quiet Riot, endlessly playing the same MOR setlists, at least after they peaked with their self-titled 2010 album.

Meanwhile, former singer Ronnie Radke seemed to grab the brass ring they missed out on with the buzz band Falling in Reverse (which also briefly included former Escape the Fate bassist Max Green). That caused yet more lineup shifts, so that now, despite having just over a dozen years of history, they’re already down to just one original member, drummer Robert Ortiz. His third incarnation of Escape the Fate recently released the band’s sixth album, I Am Human, which seems to bring the group into its glossy Queensychian singles-era, at least judging from the hook-heavy aural circus heard on the lead single, “Broken Heart,” resting at this writing at number sixteen on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Chart. Their October 14 appearance at Soma includes Slaves, Set to Stun, and Picturesque.