It has been seven hard years since the world got new music from Pierce the Veil, but The Jaws of Life finally arrives tomorrow.
It should not be questioned that Pierce the Veil is a staple of the post-hardcore music scene. They have always had their own unique twist on the traditional sounds associated with the subgenre. Vic Fuentes’ distinctive voice has helped shape that sound tremendously. Their fifth studio album, The Jaws of Life, proves their ability to both hold true to that sound yet also evolve as a band and shake up their sound.
The overall feeling of the album feels like a more mature version of Pierce The Veil. The composing for this album started at the end of touring for the previous 2016 album, Misadventures, and resumed while the world was standing still from the pandemic. Those hard and emotional days spent working on this album come through while projecting an uplifting version of PTV the fans know and love.
The opening track, “Death of an Executioner,” starts with a synthesizer intro and goes into the heaviest song of the album. The next three songs, “Pass the Nirvana,” “Even When I’m Not with You,” and “Emergency Contact” were all previously released as singles. “Pass the Nirvana” was part of their regular set on The Power Tour with I Prevail in 2022. “Emergency Contact” comes in strong with a catchy chorus that shows off the band’s artistic range. The next few songs brought back more of the influential sounds from the last album and paid homage to their older music and bands that influenced the post-hardcore genre.
The eighth song, “Resilience,” was noticeably slower than the typical Pierce The Veil song, however, it highlights Vic’s vocal range capabilities. Up next was a 22-second interlude that feels like a great go-between for two very different tracks. In the next track, “Shared Trauma”, there are alt-pop vibes with great beats in the backtrack. “So Far So Fake” is the next song, which brings back sounds more akin to that of the 2012 Collide with the Sky album. The final track of the album, “12 Fractures,” includes guest vocals from the talented singer-songwriter Chloe Moriondo. With her vocals, she was able to bring a refreshing dash of indie pop to the song.
Overall, The Jaws of Life album has enough old nostalgic Pierce the Veil sound and emotion to bring back longtime fans and enough evolved sounds to entice a crop of new fans. They were able to bring together blends of musical inspiration from 1993 grunge, 2003 emo, and a hint of their classic 2013 sound to meld into their new 2023 sounds.
The new album is released tomorrow. The Jaws of Life World Tour kicks off March 28th in Guadalajara, Mexico. This tour is one that should not be missed when it is in your area!
