ALBUM REVIEW ~ PIERCE THE VEIL ~ 'THE JAWS OF LIFE'

I'm music magazine, pierce the veil, the jaws of life, pass the nirvana, mike fuentes, emergency contact, vic fuentes, chloe moriondo,

Award-winning post-hardcore icons Pierce the Veil hit the alternative hard rock scene with a fiery punch this season, releasing their first new album in seven years. Their comeback was anything but silent, welcomed back by both young and old fans who took the early singles from The Jaws of Life and sky-rocketed them to the top of the rock charts.

The Jaws of Life was recorded down in New Orleans, where the band stayed a few weeks in 2021 to work on new material. It’s their first record without former member and co-founder Mike Fuentes, who left in 2017 shortly before the band’s hiatus. While their fifth studio album showcases a new era for Pierce the Veil, it also highlights the band’s growth and pop-punk and metalcore influences over the years, proving they are still the same band we fell in love with all those years ago.

Opening with “Death of an Executioner”, lyrically and musically this first song has all the prose, venom, and angst that Pierce the Veil fans love. The musical transitions give extra layers to dive into, from the combative drumming on the verses to the rhythmic guitar intros leading to the chorus and the angst of the solos that switch from heavy to melodic on the bridge. There’s a lot going on with “Death of an Executioner” and even more so with the second track “Pass the Nirvana.”

“Pass the Nirvana” was the album’s first single released back in September. A mix of nineties funk and post-hardcore, it’s one of the more experimental songs from the band between the slick cadence of the vocals and the grunge-inspired instrumentals, there’s hardly any room for boredom. “Pass the Nirvana” was clearly an excellent choice for the first single released from The Jaws of Life.

“Even When I’m Not with You” is the ballad off The Jaws of Life, written by vocalist/guitarist Vic Fuentes for his wife Danielle. A simple rock and roll romance, it’s one of the slower songs on the album.

Another love-smitten track with a faster tempo, “Emergency Contact” was one of the well-received early singles to reach the charts. A steady power-chord opening with a lust for life chorus that feels like a nostalgic teenage pop song, slick and cool, yet edgy and exciting at the same time. A clever hymn on yearning, young love, and questioning if this love is right. The harmonies on the bridge that lead straight into the chorus again only amplify the song’s power, making “Emergency Contact” a contagious sing-along.

“Maybe I should go and buy a gun, point it at the mirror, make me run,” is a heavy opening line to miss for the record’s title track. The statement of that intro is bold enough to turn the heads of listeners while also revealing the anxieties and insecurities of the song’s meaning. Make no mistake, “The Jaws of Life” is just as much a fun hit as the earlier tracks, a headbanger anthem worthy of the title but filled with enough sentiment and depth to be more than just another pop song.

“Damn the Man, Save the Empire,” brings the speed back, a grimy pop-punk banger done in perfect Pierce the Veil style. The repeating lyric “No one likes this anyway,” is near impossible to not sing along to when it makes its way into the song.

“Resilience” samples in a line from the 1993 cult film Dazed and Confused before the track begins in a moody finger-plucking riff. “Resilience” teases heavier instrumentals without going that far until the fuller band sound builds a path onto the bridge, but that same melodic intro keeps the soulfulness of the song all the way to the end.

Songs like “Shared Trauma” and “So Far So Fake” are percussion-heavy, a duet between the vocals and the drumbeats.

The final track titled “12 Fractures” features vocals from indie pop artist Chloe Moriondo. A soft hymn compared to the rest of the album, the combined vocals are an unassuming pair that fills the track with the right emotions. “There were shortcuts into heaven through your eyes” is the line that cuts deepest in “12 Fractures”, lovely, thought-provoking, and melancholy at the same time although Fuentes’ last lines hit just as hard.

In conclusion, it’s no mistake that The Jaws of Life is as well-received as it is by fans. It partners all the right elements that listeners of the band adore, the vocal angst and the lyrical passion with the instrumental moodiness and hardcore breakdowns. There’s a youthful stride combined with an aged introspective that shows the band’s maturity through the years. The Jaws of Life not only welcomed back old fans but opened the gates for a newer audience to form.

I’m Music Magazine Writer Alice Kearney