Greg Puciato is a vocalist who is most notably known for being in the frantic and chaotic band, The Dillinger Escape Plan while also being part of other projects such as the synth-pop group, The Black Queen, and the supergroup, Killer Be Killed. His solo debut album feels like a mash-up of all of his previously named projects while still adding new and interesting sounds to the mix.
One of the most evident achievements on this album was that he managed to mix up so many different genres of music while making the album stay somewhat cohesive as he took inspiration from synth-pop, mathcore, grunge and more. Songs like Deep Set feel reminiscent of his work in The Dillinger Escape Plan while adding grunge to the blend. It starts with a chunky, yet groovy bassline that leads to Greg Puciato's fantastic vocals. The songs also shows his range as he jumps from intense screams to gritty cleans. Similarly, Roach Hiss features some visceral screams that remind me of Limerent Death. The song is also by far the heaviest on the album with it's fierce guitar riffs. His more synth-pop focused tracks are also just as good, if not better than his heavier songs. Temporary Object proves that he can make some catchy and engaging songs that nobody could possibly dislike and A Pair of Questions is an especially calming listen as well as being one of the most memorable tracks on the album.
In the song Down When I'm Not, we hear Greg Puciato experiment with a pop-punk sort of sound. While he does succeed in creating a song with a good hook, the song does falter by being pretty repetitive. The songs Creator of God and Do You Need Me to Remind You? are both great but their enjoyability are lessened with outros that last way too long. Thankfully the album finishes with the fantastic 1-2 punch that is Heartfree and September City. Heartfree is a great example of the biggest positive that I have with the album which is Greg Puciato's skilful vocals. The middle section of the song feature his most impressive performance in his clean singing to this date and then the songs fades into a relaxing piano segment. The closing track, September City, begins as Heartfree left off with a calming opening but then leads into a heavy and momentous end that creates the perfect closer for the album.
Overall, the album is fantastic as it holds multiple different genres that create a mostly cohesive experience and brilliant vocals (whether he is singing or screaming). However, some songs do have minor issues that worsen them with each listen but it never gets too bad as the songs never become a chore to go through.
MY TOP 5 SONGS:
1. Heartfree
2. Temporary Object
3. Deep Set
4. A Pair of Questions
5. Roach Hiss
