Review Summary: The next step in rebirth.
With Senses Fail only having one founding member still in the band its to be expected that musically the band is going to change. with lead vocalist Buddy Nielsen out to reshape the band in a brand new image it would be almost pointless to compare this new release to any of their older work. A slow-cooker filled with all of Buddy’s pent up emotions, "Pull The Thorns From Your Heart" is meant to be a catharsis through and through. It should be noted that the basic foundation of each song was written by Buddy, then properly fleshed out by each individual member of the band. Divided into heavier songs, and deftones esque softer songs.The album opens up with "The Three Marks of Existence". The new, heavier side of Senses Fail can be summed up in this song and it works as a pretty strong opener (similar to Renacer and its title track opener). The track listing of the first half of the record arranges its songs heavy-soft-heavy-etc, which isn't bad but sometimes knocks off the momentum of the more aggressive songs. The album is definitely bottom heavy with the best three tracks at the end, and the weaker tracks at the beginning.
The drums are really catchy on this record. Not overly technical, but able to add that extra punch in the heavier songs while staying subdued in softer cuts. The bass pops in and out getting a few moments to shine, but is often left in the background to provide backbone for the heavier songs. The rhythm section burns brightest on tracks like "The Importance of The Moment of Death" where there's just this infectious bounce provided by the drums and bass. The guitar work can be a bit more polarizing. On the softer, post-rock inspired songs the leads are often quite angelic and perfectly capture the ethereal atmosphere."Surrender’s" guitar work is peacefully mesmerizing with spoken word segments that tread new water for the band. The heavier songs on the other hand can be very hit or miss. Take Refuge succeeds in delivering a pretty catchy opening riff, but its repeated so often that the track becomes redundant at its close to 4 minute mark. Likewise, "Courage of An Open Heart" could of benefited from having its entire first half cut out. The heavier songs do however succeed in feeling, well heavy, albeit with simplicity. I do believe though that the band is quite aware of that.
Buddy is on top of his game on this record. His screams have improved every album and this is no exception. Now, more impressive than his range is the delivery of his vocals. Where at times the lyrics can be melodramatic, Buddy is capable of delivering these lines with a conviction that brings things back down to earth. Clean vocals have always been the Achilles heel of Senses Fail but Buddy has done well to stick to his strengths. The kind of experimentation seen on "The Path" is brought out often, with Buddy using things like spoken word, and falsetto to add a nice amount of variety into his performance. On songs like "Wounds" the mix of screams and clean singing blend together so nicely, adding as much to the atmosphere as the instrumentation. While "Dying Words" has the rest of band matching Buddy’s energy perfectly.
As I mentioned earlier its the last three songs of the album that really stand out. Each blending the heavy, and softer sides of the music together perfectly. Also the lyrics on these songs are by far the best, with the kind of lyricism fans have come to expect from the band .
“I’ve been looking for a pearl, this whole time it’s been right in my chest I went diving to the depths of hell once, but I only found death“He said to me, don’t be afraid of your end. Be bold, be authentic, be brave enough to love again”And he said, “Pull the thorns from your heart, to wander in the fields of flowers”
At its worst "Pull The Thorns From Your Heart" can be a little predictable when it comes to the more aggressive songs, but at its best it can be creative,charming, and just a lot of fun. That’s really it, the band has never sounded like their having so much fun just writing songs and that's the true strength of this record, and If you cant look past a few flaws and blemishes you may need to pull a few thorns from your own heart.
Recommended tracks: The last three songs, Wounds, The Importance of The Moment of Death, Surrender.
