Pierce The Veil: A Flair For The Dramatic
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By Jeremy Azevedo
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Simply based upon their appearance alone, it would be easy to write Pierce the Veil off as just another cookie-cutter emo band. Like most people over the age of 25, I see tight pants and scene haircuts and I immediately recoil as a result of being assaulted with a decade’s worth of lame guitar pop and whiny lyrics. |
After listening to their new album, A Flair For the Dramatic and meeting the band personally, I can safely say that Pierce the Veil possess a style and spirit that places them head and shoulders above their peers.
Hailing from a generationally musical family, brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes clearly exhibit a wide range of styles that range from screamo and melodic hardcore to punk rock, early Michael Jackson era funk, Spanish guitar/Flamenco and even a little bit of shred metal. Every song on the album is widely varied, not only compared to its neighbors, but within the actual songs themselves. The changes in style and tone are masterfully arranged in technically complicated patterns that mimic the climax and catharsis of life in a way that “emo” music is always expected to and yet often fails to.
For those that actually do like shitty Fall Out Boy/My Chemical Romance/Panic at the Disco records, you will find A Flair For the Dramatic familiar, if not slightly more challenging than you are used to. For those of you that, like myself, first became aware of “emotional” music as a recognized genre during the Glassjaw/Thursday/Jawbreaker era, you will be surprised to find yourself reminded of the potential that exists for emotional hardcore to be great without the ego and debasing fashion conformity.
A Flair For the Dramatic starts strong with the opening track, “Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides”, an epic track that is probably one of the best examples of the range that Pierce the Veil has, changing tempos in tight, deliberate spirals. The aggression meter starts to spike on “I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous” before evolving into total speed metal on “She Sings in the Morning”, a song that totally shreds without having to dumb itself down. This is immediately followed by a chilling piano-accompanied piece, “The Balcony Scene”, without skipping a beat. Definitely a fun album to check out, and one that requires repeat listening to fully appreciate.
Score: 8 out of 10
+1 if you think “Pierce the Veil” is 1000 times better of a name than the band’s previous moniker, “Before Today”
-2 if you can’t hang with the slightly nasally vocals
For an added bonus, check out Pierce the Veil’s MySpace page for a cover of “Beat It” that kicks the shit out of Fall Out Boy’s, and was recorded at least 100 years prior. Also, check out CraveOnline Soundcheck in July for an exclusive Pierce the Veil live performance and a new comedy short starring the band!
