Poison the Well
Starkness and complexity. Two elements at Polar opposites but two elements which musical alchemists Poison the Well have always combined together to create a rich and intense sound.
After the runaway success of previous albums, Tear from the Red and You Come Before You, PTW have returned, but this time looking to expand the narrow confines of their genre and experimenting more with the melody they have always been so adept at using.
The opener 'Letter Things' is not one of those typical openers that slowly build for the ferocity of track two: it is an immediate rat-a-tat-tat assault on the ears. 'Give me sunshine, make me happy' screams singer Jeffrey Moreira is not a typical metalcore cry. In fact, it feels uncomfortable to call them metalcore as this album seems so divorced from that scene they seemed to be part of a few years ago. But by track three all that apparent intensity is short lived and makes way for a complete change in sound.
'Nagaina' sounds more akin to Kyuss than anything pertaining to be 'metalcore'. With guitars gradually building little by little and Moreira's sand and whisky coated vocals nearly breathily intoning 'I have a big secret'. Its deceptively simple first half then leads effortlessly to a bruising finale of crashing drums and ramped up guitars.
The most interesting thing which this album conveys is a sense of experimentation. So many metal influenced bands have risen through the ranks since PTW's last release; all spewing out the same turgid sound and all looking identikit with their tight jeans, angular hair and skinny tees. This least offers something more appealing to the ear with its variation in sound: Versions continually changes direction. Once the listener becomes complacent the mood switches and after the slowest songs, comes the most frenetic music.
The measured burn of Slow Good Morning with its lament of 'There are bodies strewn all over my bedroom floor, I don't know how they got there...' Simple, uncluttered and downbeat it is a complete contrast against next track 'Prematurio el Baby' with its incessant driving intensity.
It is more than likely that previous die-hard fans will not like this new direction. It may be a step to far and some may find that after a few listens the predictability of the contrasting of tracks grows tiring. But for a band which has been together for nearly 10 years, this is a true testament to a group of musical innovators wishing to break down narrow boundaries by ripping up the rulebooks on every track.