Posted in: Musicouching by Zach Schwanz on February 10th, 2011 | 0 Comments
A review of Pierce the Veil’s album Selfish Machines.
Before listening to this album I was skeptical to say the least. I had never listened to Pierce the Veil before, and my only experience with frontman Vic Fuentes was his singing in Isles and Glaciers EP album The Hearts of Lonely People. In Isles and Glaciers, Vic’s voice was heard alongside Craig Owens and Jonny Craig, singers who have practically attained the status of demigod amongst the post hardcore community. In Isles and Glaciers, Vic’s voice is a great contrast to voices of Craig and Owens, and he often ends up just sounding annoying. So you can see my hesitance to pick up an album featuring Vic as the lead. Fortunately, my reservations proved to be unfounded, and Selfish Machines has become one of my favorite albums.
Vocals: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Musicianship: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Lyrics: ☆ ☆ ☆
Creativity: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Replay Value: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Overall: 4.4/5
Vocals – The vocals in the album are unique to say the least. Vic’s squeaky high voice is a perfect fit to the music, and does not sound whiny or annoying at all, as one might expect. Also, guest vocalist Jeremy McKinnon of A Day to Remember is featured on the song Caraphernelia, and he is, as expected, amazing. He is definitely has one of my favortite screams.
Musicianship - When listening to this album, you can definitely tell that there is a lot of technical skill going into the songs. From the into to Besitos to the chorus of Bulletproof Love, you can hear the incredible amount of talent that these musicians have put into their album. One thing that particularly stands out is the drum work by Mike Fuentes. It is unique, and skillful, and does not sound like either wild banging or a drum machine, which is the norm for many bands.
Lyrics – This lyrics in this album are a bit nonsensical and vague. While they are often clear enough that they can be heard without looking up the lyrics, they leave the listener lost. Another problem is that thoughout the album the lyrics seem to be very dark and often have themes of blood/gore/death (”Tear the threads from your skin one-by-one ’til your bones feel embarassed from all the attention.” “Hold your hand ’til I break my wrist.” “Covered in blood, last seen in San Fransisco.”)
Creativity - I love the amount of creativity that can be felt in this album. In every song, there are many, many changes in sound, without ever losing the feeling that runs through the entire song. Drumbeats, guitar riffs, instruments being played, all change throughout the song, and yet it doesn’t sound forced or like a new song.
Replay Value – I have listened to this album more times than I can count. I am, in fact, listening to it right now. Enough said.
Overall – Overall, this is a GREAT album. I would recommend to any lover of punk, posthardcore, metalcore, or any other similar type of music. It really, I feel, has a sound that appeals to many people. The lyrics might be much for some people, but I certainly hope that it wouldn’t deter people from at least checking it out.
