Senses Fail - Pull The Thorns From Your Heart
Senses Fail has recently released their highly anticipated sixth studio album Pull The Thorns From Your Heart and although it differs in sound slightly to their previous material, it’s still one to listen out for.
The post-hard-core band is fronted by Buddy Nielsen, a man that has spent his life following his own path through a dedication to meditation and Buddhist teachings. This record documents how his life has been altered through these spiritual experiences since he began making music as a teenager and is his personal story of struggle and realization put to music.
The Three Marks Of Existence punches through the opening barrier full speed with an abundance of crashing drums, rampaging guitars and grunts of lyrics in less than two minutes while giving off a sense of anger and heaviness. This is followed with tracks such as The Courage Of An Open Heart, where screams of lyrics (“I was so alone, buried in sadness”) along with fast paced drumming and rugged guitars make an anxious ambiance and at times dread. Other songs such as the title track hold these more aggressive effects and fast paced music close to heart.
There are tracks that take things down a notch with music taking a lighter turn in terms of speed, pace and ambience. Carry the Weight with its accompanying vocals is mellower with only moment of gruffness. There is less aggression and compression and more unrestricted sounds and freedom expressed. Surrender is smoother with gentle guitars accompanied by the spoken word for the first 90 seconds then remaining calm with some backing grunts at intervals. The Importance Of The Moment Of Death 1 has more of a bounce in its step with the repetition of “I want to believe” having quite an impact.
We All Are Returning Home is a best of both worlds tune. It opens with the more speedy music and gruff toned vocals but also has moments of spoken words and develops into quite a melodic tune while the concluding number My Fear Of A Unlived Life takes things even further as you are whisked away on cloud nine with a peaceful atmosphere with a few gusts of wind making it a bumpy ride.
There is so much honesty and passion within the lyrics that have been written. Take Wounds for example. Lyrics such as “Depression, anxiety and shame, they almost killed me, Obsession, addiction and pain, they almost killed me” really dragging you into the heavier depths of the track but then words such as “Be the Change You Seek” making you believe that once you see your wounds, the things inside that are haunting you, you can seek to make that change, but until you see it for yourself there is nothing that can be done.
This album is packed jam with enthusiasm, emotion and personal experiences that you’ll find it difficult not to find some aspect to sink your teeth into.