Review Summary: Pierce The Veil concocts something surprisingly excellent
Strikingly high pitched vocals, sickly sweet lyrics, and a duet with Kellin Quinn; Pierce The Veil's latest release sounds like a recipe for disaster, and the fact that the majority of their fanbase consists of teenage Hot Topic frequents doesn't help to rectify that. Upon first listen, I fully expected to be bombarded with over-produced, commercialized garbage. This was not the case, however, and what I found in this album's twelve tracks was utterly surprising. Pierce The Veil doesn't settle for a typical post-hardcore throwaway, and instead push themselves to explore uncharted territory within the genre.
The most immediately noticeable aspect of
Collide With The Sky is its vocal style. Pushing his voice to a register generally unattainable by postpubescent males, Vic Fuentes can be quite off-putting to newcomers to the band. This may all sound rather familiar to fans of the genre, but there is one important distinction to be made between Fuentes and a significant amount of his contemporaries: he has legitimate power and conviction. Never once do the parts seem contrived or inauthentic. Even the most laughably “emo” lyrics (“I kissed the scars on her skin, I still think you're beautiful”) are soared through with ease, leaving the listener no room to question their validity. It is hard to imagine another vocalist capable of pulling off these lines at all, much less with the amount of versatility displayed on
Collide With the Sky. Truly one of the most capable vocalists today, Vic Fuentes is easily the biggest highlight of the album, and the band in general.
The instrumentation present on the album is always adequately technical, yet never steals the spotlight from the vocals. Guitarists Tony Perry and Vic Fuentes thankfully restrain themselves from the seemingly mandatory open note breakdowns utilized by most bands, rather opting for catchy riffs (see “Bulls In The Bronx” and “A March Into Water”) and bouncy leads. The bass plays a relatively orthodox role, occasionally making itself known, but largely remaining content to keep under the enveloping musical canvas created by the rest of the band. Quirky electronic flourishes worm their way into most songs, adding additional depth, but above all of this is the commanding performance of Mike Fuentes on drums. Weaving between punk-inspired beats and beautifully fluid fills, he establishes himself as a current percussive leader of post-hardcore. Influence is clearly derived from previous drummers in the genre, with additional notes taken from salsa music and progressive rock. This type of flexibility is generally characteristic of the performance and musicianship of the band as a whole throughout the entirety of
Collide With The Sky.
A parallel can be drawn between
Collide With The Sky and Metallica's 1991 self-titled release: on both, the first half is easily superior to the second. Excluding the conventional one-minute opener, the first six tracks are destined to become classics of the genre. The choruses are absolutely unforgettable and the songs all have a general irresistible charm about them. However, the latter portion, while still quite enjoyable, fails to reach the heights achieved by the former. The songs border on unmemorable, with some more so than others. There is one notable exception – “Hold On Till May” is undoubtedly one of Pierce The Veil's finest moments, combining the lighthearted fun of previous tracks with sections guaranteed to elicit emotions that should be forever kept under lock and key. In general though, numbers like “ One Hundred Sleepless Nights” and “I'm Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket” are unlikely to be remembered by anyone other than the band's extremely devoted fans.
Despite its somewhat lackluster back half,
Collide With The Sky is one of the highest caliber post-hardcore albums of recent years. The band displays a knack for absurdly catchy vocal lines and superior instrumental performance, all the while retaining a carefree vibe and tasteful restraint. The songs are exceptional, the playing is proficient, and the vocals demonstrate abundant dexterity.
Collide With The Sky lays its peers to waste and has proven to be one of the most indelible releases of 2012.
