Review Summary: The Jaws of Life is a decent enough standalone experience - but lacks the necessary "bite" to stand toe-to-toe with Pierce the Veil's earlier releases.
For fans of Pierce the Veil - this album will likely come off as a disappointment upon your first listen. And that's okay, and perfectly understandable! It's been a long seven year wait for The Jaws of Life, and though it's far from being a bad album, it lacks the energy and ferocity that made Pierce the Veil stand out during their peak years. It's easy to hear the abundance of downtempo tracks and think that Pierce the Veil has lost their passion/edge, but there are a plethora of little moments sprinkled throughout The Jaws of Life's 41-minute runtime that give purpose to repeated listens. Plus, Vic Fuentes and company certainly haven't lost their ability to write some killer hooks.
Pierce the Veil's lead single for this record - 'Pass the Nirvana' - ends up surprisingly being the heaviest song to be found, and the only song to feature any screaming from Fuentes. Perhaps the band did that on purpose to give long-waiting fans a taste of what they've been ansty for all this time. Unsurprisingly, the second and third singles they released do a much better job at representing the album's sound as a whole. 'Emergency Contact' is a downtempo, almost romantic track that features an infectious earworm of a chorus, and 'Even When I'm Not With You' is a slowburn of sorts that really becomes memorable when the percussion kicks in during the song's climactic final minute.
There are still some upbeat songs to be found on The Jaws of Life, such as 'So Far So Fake,' 'Death of An Executioner,' and the aforementioned 'Pass the Nirvana.' Each track is decent in their own right, with 'Death of An Executioner' easily being the best of the three. What'll likely surprise fans of Pierce the Veil is that this album is at its best when they scale back the energy to deliver slower, more thoughtful tracks like 'Flawless Execution' and 'Resilience.' Simply put, Pierce the Veil has grown up. In the time since they released Misadventures, Fuentes has gotten married and is nearly 40 years-old. If they had tried extra hard to release another album like Collide With The Sky of Selfish Machines, it would've come off as disingenious, and the band would've been rightly criticized for it.
To be fair, the album isn't without its missteps. 'Damn the Man, Save the Empire' is a completely forgettable track that lacks any real punch in the chorus to make it stand out. Also, one of the album's greatest missteps is that it completely bungles the ending. Pierce the Veil has had such a good track record up until this point of ending albums with a bang. Collide With the Sky ended with 'Hold On Till May,' which is easily an album highlight and an emotional gut-punch at the same time. The same could be said about Misadventures' closing track, 'Song for Isabelle.' So what did we get to close out The Jaws of Life? A completely unnecessary interlude that leads into the most boring song on the album ('Shared Trauma'), followed up with a decent, but forgettable song ('So Far So Fake') which then ends with '12 Fractures (feat. Chloe Moriondo), which is ALSO very boring and forgettable. Perhaps if '12 Fractures' was placed in the middle of the record it would be seen as much more inoffensive. But since it's the album's closing track, it feels much more disappointing.
Your enjoyment of The Jaws of Life will depend entirely on your expections going into it. Nothing on this album matches the energy and upbeat nature of their earlier work, but there's still lots to enjoy. If Pierce the Veil could've stuck the landing on this album, then it would've likely left a better impression on people and would've warranted a higher score. As it stands, The Jaws of Life is a pleasant standalone experience - that will inevitably split Pierce the Veil's fanbase. If you were disappointed after your first listen, I urge you to give it a second chance sometime soon. That inital disappointment may very well blossom into a newfound appreciation for what Pierce the Veil has accomplished on this record.
HITS - Death of An Executioner; Emergency Contact; Flawless Execution; Resilience
MISSES - Damn the Man, Save the Empire; Shared Trauma; 12 Fractures
FINAL SCORE: 3.4 out of 5
