What The Critics Say
After exploring elements of country music during 2007's Versions, Poison the Well revisit the lean machinations of hardcore punk with Tropic Rot. Gone are the mandolins, banjos, and acoustic guitars that added relief to the band's pummeling assault. Instead, Poison the Well return their focus the dividing line between melody and abrasion, often exploring both sides during the same song. Much of the grunt work is done by frontman Jeffrey Moreira, who screams his throat raw or sings in a brooding, alt rock croon according to the songs' demands, while his bandmates brew up ominous concoctions beneath him. Tropic Rot flirts with electronics and briefly references the western sounds that dominated Versions, but it defiantly lacks the liberal agenda of the band's last album, wishing to breathe new life into the hardcore realm rather than break the genre's conventions. As such, this is a fairly confident return to form, and longtime fans will likely file the album alongside The Opposite of December. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
2007's Versions marks Poison the Well's return to independent labels following a brief, one album sojourn with major Atlantic Records, which, if nothing else, served as endless fodder for self-absorbed debate amongst their notoriously possessive fans. In fact, it often seems as though Poison the Well's got thousands of bitchy girlfriends instead of fans, so here's hoping they'll stop their whining now that the guys have dumped that skanky high-priced major-label ho and hooked up with a hip-but-hot "indie chick" in the shape of hardcore specialists Ferret Records. They certainly should have no qualms with the band's choice of direction, since Versions finds them toying and experimenting with the same liberal hardcore philosophy that got them to this point, and, to that end, their selection of Refused producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lovstrom is ideal. From album opener "Letter Thing" through to closer "The First Day of My Second Life," the band tempers the necessary bursts of pure hardcore with unpredictable detours into densely textured guitar dirges, likewise alternating clean and screamed vocals as need be, and sculpting dizzying citadels of sound out of standouts tracks like "Breathing for the Birds," "Pleading Post," and "You Will Not be Welcomed." Poison the Well is also quick to augment their recently depleted roster of musicians (this album being recorded by the remnant trio) with "exotic" instruments such as banjos, mandolins, and various horns used on the aforementioned "Pleading Post," the Spaghetti Western homage "Riverside," and the sublime, suitably named "Slow Good Morning," where a desolate atmospheric vibe somehow welds together the Beatles and Soundgarden. Thus are sowed the seeds to a typically progressive, daring, and no doubt controversial release from Poison the Well; so it now remains to be seen (and heard) how their girlfriends -- that is "fans" -- relate to it...let the bitching begin! ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
'You Come Before You'
What The Critics Say
More legendary even than their stylistic innovation are the squabbles of these metalcore heroes with their puritan fanbase. Unwilling to accept anything other than a punishing, straight-ahead ass-whupping, a considerable chunk of Poison the Well's fans either deserted the Florida quintet, or spent too much time and energy decrying the band's past forays into melody and glimmering hope. These naysayers will undoubtedly have an issue with You Come Before You, the group's third full-length, which arrives via Atlantic. But in their zeal to condemn, the elitists will miss out on one of the hardest and heaviest yet most dynamic records to be released on any label -- major or otherwise -- in quite a while. It's hard to avoid the blast radius of opener "Ghostchant." But what's most exciting about the track is its refusal to hang with cliché. Throughout its eyebrow-singeing verses, Jeff Moreira's throaty, anguished bellow always retains its vocal definition -- unlike too many groups that use the device and just sound silly. "Loved Ones," too, churns up a hardcore rhythm behind Moreira's scream, but skids on the head of a needle into a bridge that sets his eviscerating screed against a delicate guitar figure. The effect of hard and soft fighting it out is akin to being burned by deep-frozen steel. Of course, left-field stylistic shifts aren't innovative. But performing them with an utter lack of pretense is, and that's what becomes obvious even in the first few minutes of You Come Before You. Like Dillinger Escape Plan, Poison the Well is unsatisfied with the limited dimensions of metal-influenced hardcore, even if it is astoundingly good at creating that sound. Instead, Before You's second half becomes a three-way tug of war between melody, metalcore, and genre-shifting self-expression, with neck-snapping rockers giving way to atmospheric instrumentals, which in turn lead into something like "Apathy Is a Cold Body," where psychedelic soundscapes are sliced apart by garroted vocals and steamrolled into manageable packets of post-hardcore conventionalism. "You see what you want to see," Moreira sings over the song's ending rush, before summoning his mike-swallowing yawp to hurl the line like an invective at anyone who can't or won't accept Poison the Well's furious desire to reinvent. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder'
What The Critics Say
Poison the Well broke open the floodgates in the metalcore community with their full-length debut, The Opposite of December, an album that influenced many hardcore bands to enhance their musical creativity with bursts of melody that contrasted well with the typical anger and fury that had previously spearheaded the genre. Naturally Poison the Well found themselves with quite a bit of pressure to follow through with a follow-up album that would likewise surface head and shoulders above the rest of the raging river of newfound "emotional metalcore" bands that followed in their wake. Tear from the Red was completed in only a matter of weeks as a result, and while the album continues Poison the Well's dream of molding emotion and melody into the average hardcore style, it also is not as spellbinding as was their debut. The almost indie rock melody of "Horns and Tails" is staggering but not a tremendous surprise for any fan who has followed the band's career, and while the metal aspect is still fully intact, it has seemingly lost its explosive impact. After a year of hearing bands push the boundaries of the genre Poison the Well helped create, Tear from the Red is refreshing but does not quite quench the thirst that they themselves gave birth to. This album certainly is a competent metalcore album, and for all purposes it covers every base required and even furthers Poison the Well's experimental spark. It just isn't the messiah it was claimed to be. That aside, it is surely Poison the Well's most marketable album to date, and will likely introduce the group, possibly the whole genre, to a wider audience. The intense opener, "Botchla" allows longtime fans the chance to reacquaint themselves with the band, and many of the songs contained within feel like an extension of The Opposite of December. Tear from the Red succeeds on many levels, and although the album legitimately sounds rushed, it should help shed light on the vast hardcore scene many have no understanding of. Does this meet expectations? Not quite. The 30-minute running time is a letdown, but it certainly is Poison the Well's most balanced music to date. Tear from the Red is equally as impressive as The Opposite of December, but given how much hype that went into the disc, just being equal to the debut is moderately disappointing. Fans who expected a major evolution may feel left in the cold, but there is definitely enough contained to satisfy average fans. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
