 | Tracklist:
1. Exist Underground
2. Sparks it Will Rain
3. Cinema
4. Pamplemousse
5. Who Doesn't Love a Good Dismemberment?
6. Antarctia Inside Me
7. When You Lose I Lose as Well
8. Celebrate the Pyre
9. Are You Anywhere?
10. Makshift Clay You
11. Without You and One Other I am Nothing
| Ranking: #149 for 2009 | |
| | other reviews | PeteyThePistol (4.5)
Poison The Well create a classic album that goes from being heavy and loud to beautiful and soft, an... | bamfe9 (4)
Brutal, Beautiful, Brilliant. South Florida's finest return in fine form.... |
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| Summary: Everything Versions should have been, The Tropic Rot is on par with Poison the Well's best albums. |
1 of 1 thought this review was well written
Gone are the days of Poison the Well’s The Opposite of December, and while the number of twists and turns their musical style has taken over the past ten years is too often exaggerated, they’ve certainly evolved tremendously in the wake of their freshman classic. Arguably the pioneers of generic metalcore, it seems only fitting that they are, with their previous two albums and now The Tropic Rot, pulling it out of a tumultuous rut. I’d be poisoning the well to associate this with the thousand lineup changes they’ve gone through, so let me instead acknowledge just how damn good these guys are.
It has already been stated on this site that The Tropic Rot sounds in many ways like its predecessor Versions, just a whole lot better. This is perhaps the best short assessment of the record’s sound. To be blunt, Versions sucked, and The Tropic Rot is one of the best albums of the year so far, contrary to its ranking as the band’s worst charting album to date. It is remarkably solid from top to bottom; after numerous listens I still have trouble pinpointing an entirely weak song. Likewise, there is no clear-cut best, but we all have our favorites.
Jeff Moreira’s vocal work on this album is unbelievable, low-pitched screams and soothing cleans alike. The band songwriting avoids an excess of either, but this isn’t simply flipping back and forth between verse and chorus. This is also true of past albums, but this time the band really managed to work every fitting element of their career across the eleven songs. Exist Underground’s initial unassuming vocal hooks are contrasted beautifully by its monster chorus, which is in turn backed by epic guitar work. I haven’t even mentioned how pissed off the lyrics are, and how downright creepy they become when delivered with the album’s signature sound. I’m struggling to define it beyond a dark, dense tropical rotting feel, but just as Hopesfall rocked that spacey atmosphere throughout their career, Poison the Well are now adding a trademark touch to their music.
I can’t stress enough how consistently good this album is. Whether it’s a handful of terrific fills on the drum or an infectious lyrical bit, rarely did a song fail to add on to the album where the last left off. Throughout the album the instrumental work ranges from downright heavy in the vein of the band’s early work, to quiet and pseudo-classical guitar to fit the calmer sections. Although they still aren’t dropping snazzy, progressive riffs, everything clicks.
Despite all this excessive admiration, this album is not without flaws. Many lyrics seem forced and come off as tacky, such as the butterflies bit in Sparks it Will Rain and the opening and later repeated line in Are You Anywhere?. This is unfortunate because the lyrics are otherwise spectacular, far above average for the genre. Sparks it Will Rain is also the most boring track on the album, but my biggest quip is with Celebrate the Pyre, which had potential to instill a load of adrenaline into the latter half of the album. The song is driven by some initially nice guitar work, but it’s too simple, tedious, and an ensuing abbreviated chorus dooms the song. The band was too conservative here, and lack the effort displayed everywhere else. In the end the main thing holding the album back though is its lack of a transcendent feeling, something accomplished by an As the Roots Undo or, for Converge enthusiasts, a Jane Doe. It is outstanding but has the potential to be forgotten come the end of the year and everyone’s favorite “best of” lists.
While some fans that in the past had trouble letting go of the breakdown ridden Poison the Well will more likely enjoy August Burns Red’s Constellations over this, hardcore aficionados will certainly appreciate the band’s latest release. Regardless of which genre it falls under (this is such an amalgam of genres there are even hints of screamo, more so than the run of the mill post-hardcore/metalcore album), the band finally created the album they had through previous albums been working towards. Far from a masterpiece, it is still a worthy addition to their now expansive discography. Looking back on their past trends, one could suspect another change in direction for their next album assuming they don’t call it quits. Either way, this album slays, and merits a listen or two so long as you can handle any sort of mildly heavy music in your diet.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
just read the other guy's review and realized i saidd the same things, so i apologize for that.
otherwise, first review in a long time, lemme know if their are any mistakes and such.
| | | Album Rating: 4
good review man! i think your opinion on the album differs slightly to mine....
versions wasnt sooooo bad.
| | | Album Rating: 4
thanks. yea maybe i exxagerated that, i have yet to objectıvely rate versions, just know im defınıtely not a fan
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WAIT IS THAT BUSTYAGUNZ. Motha fucka what up! =)
Digging: CLARK - Iradelphic Digging: CLARK - Iradelphic
| | | Album Rating: 4
yea, long layoff cuz of school etc. this happened on an eleven hour flight to turkey haha
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this is second best only to the opposite of december in ptw's discography
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Good review man. ^agreed, i absolutely love this album, not as good as ycby but as good or better than tood
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music | | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great review. Album owns hard, but YCBY will always be their classic.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
why am i the only one that's pos'd this review?! no offense to the other reviewers of this album, but this one should be the default fosho
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Very good review man!!!
Digging: Abysmal Torment - Omnicide Digging: Abysmal Torment - Omnicide | | |
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