It’s been five months since Pierce The Veil made its return to the scene with their single, “Pass The Nirvana.” In that time span, they released two more singles, “Emergency Contact” and “Even When I’m Not With You,” and announced the title of their fifth studio album, “The Jaws Of Life.” On Friday (Feb. 10), “The Jaws Of Life” was finally released to all streaming platforms, and fans could not be more ecstatic.
Here’s the full breakdown of “The Jaws Of Life” by Pierce The Veil:
The album opens with “Death Of An Executioner,” a swaying track with fuzzy guitars and bleating drums. Tambourines, bongos and shakers make small appearances throughout the song, which give it extra flare. The track is reminiscent of their past sound, but do not get too excited by this observation.
“The Jaws Of Life” is different from their past works in terms of sound and lyrical content. As far as the instrumentals, they seem to have a softer, more delicate sound rather than the hard-hitting sound that they had in albums like “Collide With The Sky” (2012) and “Selfish Machines” (2010).
Songs like “Even When I’m Not With You” and “Flawless Execution” are excellent examples of the album’s slow, swaying instrumentation. The guitar riffs are fuzzy and distorted, and singer Vic Fluentes’ vocals are clean and slightly distorted.
When it gets to the halfway point of the record, the title track keeps you afloat with its wonky guitar riffs and rumbling bass line. Fluentes’ vocals are soothing, especially with his background harmonies of “oh”s and “ah”s. The listener can hear some background screaming throughout the track, which contrasts his hush tone.
The back half of the record contains interesting tracks such as “Irrational Fears - Interlude,” which contains a short insert of a British flight attendant talking to the passengers of a flight in a chipper tone where she says, “In the unlikely event of the aircraft having to make an emergency landing, you'll be told to take a protective brace position. We hope you have a relaxed and enjoyable flight.” It flows into the next track, “Shared Trauma,” which sounds like a lo-fi song one would listen to while studying. It’s different from the rest of the album that may take the listener aback, but it’s a moody song that one can fall into.
There’s one track on the record that has a feature. “12 Fractures,” conveniently also the 12th and final track on the record, features indie-pop singer Chloe Moriondo. Her vocals on this track are soft and alluring, which are perfect for the slow and swaying vibe of the track. The instrumental for this track contains a simple distorted guitar riff, soft rim clacks and light kick drum beats. However, the vocals stick out here as Fluentes and Moriondo harmonize with one another during the chorus. It’s a terrific album closer, especially in juxtaposition to the opening track.
Overall, “The Jaws Of Life” is a terrific album that differs from their previous work. However, the difference is something to appreciate and relish. Go stream the album on Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora and Apple Music.
Rating: 4/5
