Poison The Well – Peace In Place (Review)

What year is it? A lot of OG metalcore fans have most likely asked themselves this question after Floridian legends Poison The Well dropped their first single, “Trembling Level“, out of the blue after almost 20 years. Although the band had previously become active again to celebrate the anniversary of their landmark and classic metalcore release The Opposite of December, no one really expected Poison The Well to become a permanent thing again. With that single, longtime fans were immediately back on board, especially when it came to hoping for a new full-length release after 2009’s underrated gem The Tropic Rot. Now, with Peace in Place, the genre-defining band is officially back. But comebacks of this nature tend to fall into either the “they still got it” (At The Gates, Carcass) or the “yeah, whatever” (Refused, At The Drive-In) category. So where does Peace in Place belong?

While one might have expected the band to further diversify the surf-rock-infused post-hardcore sound they established on Versions and cemented on The Tropic Rot, Poison The Well surprisingly chose to refocus on their humble beginnings and emphasize the harsher nature of their sound. Peace in Place’s sonic approach can best be described as a mixture of their run from Tear From the Red to Versions, with more weight on the former than the latter. This becomes apparent as soon as the Botch-like throwback feedback and clean vocal intro to “Wax Mask” breaks into Ryan Primack’s dissonant chords, Chris Hornbrook’s off-kilter rhythms, and Jeffrey Moreira’s agonizing screams. All ten tracks operate firmly within the harsher spectrum of the band’s well-established signature sound, even more so than the two pre-released singles “Thoroughbreds” and “Everything Hurts” initially suggested.

Anyone wishing for a return to more caveman-like breakdowns and hardcore energy will be pleased to find plenty of those moments in tracks like “Primal Bloom”, “Weeping Tones” or the crushing “Melted.” Closer “Plague Them the Most” even features blast beats for the first time on a Poison The Well record. However, that doesn’t mean the band has forgotten how to craft distinctive leads or memorable chorus melodies. In fact, the aforementioned tracks feature some of their strongest hook lines to date, once again proving why Moreira remains one of the best frontmen in the game. While his screams sound more gruff and throaty than on previous records, his clean segments are still chilling. Whether it’s the earworm hooks of “Everything Hurts” and “Weeping Tones” or the ’90s alternative metal soar of “Bad Bodies” he still knows how to keep listeners engaged.

At the same time, the Western and surf rock influences in the guitar work (Ryan Primack is a huge Morricone—and possibly Beach Boys—fan) continue to shine through, making Poison The Well’s sound unmistakably their own. Production-wise, Will Putney (who hardly needs an introduction) has crafted a suitably heavy sound with his signature drum-heavy punch, while still leaving enough room for the unique leads, riffs (see “Primal Bloom”), and vocal melodies to stand out.

Poison The Well don’t miss a beat on their comeback record. Their sixth album fires on all cylinders, triggering mosh muscle memory, provoking sing-alongs, and inducing head-bobbing as if they had never left in the first place. The tracklist is concise, dynamic, and free of filler throughout its runtime. Peace in Place could easily have been released between Tear From the Red and their second catalogue masterpiece You Come Before You. With this comeback record, Poison The Well comfortably sit alongside Converge on this year’s metalcore throne, reclaiming their rightfully earned laurels.

Ray Transcended

From: Neheim (Germany)
Favorite Artists: Black Sabbath – Every Time I Die – Dissection
Best Show: The Last Dillinger Escape Plan Show @Gloria, Köln
Band: Cold Gloom