Pierce The Veil – A Flair For The Dramatic
Release Date: June 26th, 2007
Record Label: Equal Vision
A progressive band that cites Queen and Silverchair as major influences? I was ready to write off Pierce The Veil before I even took a listen. When it arrived on my doorstep, the debut full length from Equal Vision’s latest signing sat on the table for a day just waiting to be played. Every time I walked past it, I’d share a quick glance and continue on my way, much like the relationship shared with “that book I’ve been meaning to read” or “that movie I’ve been waiting to see.” After 2 days, I decided to give it a listen. Thankfully, I was completely wrong in my preconceived notions of what A Flair For The Dramatic would sound like.
The most instantly recognizable aspect and the biggest possible deterrent for many will be the sky high vocals. Sandwiched somewhere between Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez and Lovedrug’s Michael Shepard, Vic Fuentes retains that nasal tonality loved by pop-punk fans and loathed by many others. Though it sounds like he is in desperate need of some Sudafed, Fuentes pulls it off pretty well. Some will immediately dismiss the band solely for the vocals, but to do so would be a great disservice to Pierce The Veil. I have to admit that I didn’t care for them much at first, but after spending a few weeks with the album, Fuentes’ vocal style became more acceptable, and even appreciated, with each subsequent listen. There are some genuinely catchy moments such as the album opener “Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides” which, aside from the cheesy name, displays some pretty unique harmonies and vocal acrobatics. Fuentes switches from blood curdling screams to heart felt crooning with such ease that it is tough to sound anything else but completely natural. The singing lends itself equally well to both soft acoustic ballads and heavier progressive anthems without sounding the slightest bit forced. Lyrically, no new ground is being broken as most songs deal with typical fare inspired by broken relationships. Luckily, the interesting way in which they are sung overshadows the potentially standard subject matter. It might not please all tastes, but fans of high-pitched vocalists should find at least something they like here.
Musically is where Pierce The Veil really shine. On first listen, it is easy to dismiss the band as just another pop-core band, but if you dig a little deeper you will recognize the surprising depth of some of the song structures. There are a lot of different types of music on here ranging from dancey hardcore romps to acoustic laden ballads, both of which Pierce The Veil perform with unexpected maturity. This is a pop-punk influenced album that contains songs that actually distinguish themselves individually, which in itself is something to be applauded. In fact, most songs contain twists and turns that find the track ending in a completely different place than it started. “She Sings In The Morning” starts out with a riff reminiscent of early My Chemical Romance before transforming into a galloping, scream infested track with drummer Mike Fuentes taking the spotlight. The band is most successful in moments where they let loose and go balls out on tracks like this and “Drella”. Although not every song is as strong, there is at least one redeeming quality to all of them. Much of this is due to the spot on production courtesy of Casey Bates (Chiodos, Fear Before The March Of Flames, Portugal The Man), which sounds absolutely massive.
While it might not be the best thing to come out in recent memory, A Flair For The Dramatic is much better (and different) than expected. If taken at face value as simply a fun summer listen, many will be pleasantly surprised with what they find. Pierce The Veil fits right in on Equal Vision and has managed to capture a pretty solid debut release worthy of a few listens. If the band continues on the same path, they could do some great things in the future but for now, A Flair For The Dramatic isn’t a bad place to start.
I completely agree. i liked the songs they put up on myspace and i love equal vison. so i bought this cd tuesday. and at first listen i just thought that they were average. but i gave it a few more spins and i really like it now. Now don't get me wrong, it is no FBTMOF or chiodos but he was completely right when he said it fits in well. great review and good band. solid release
if you havent heard their first "celebration to an end" then u cant fully appreciate this album as "amazing"... ever since "ACTAE" ive loved these guys, even a litttle more than chiodos, i dont know why i just did... anyway, i think this album is an amazingly solid one and deserves up to 9's in categories... but hey good review, i just dont agree completely wiyh your opinion
I think this cd sucks, with the exception of i think track 3 or 4. The vocals are really quiet, and it annoys me to no end. Plus their live show is fuckin terrible. They sound awful and have stupid ass sound clips in between every song in their set.
When I saw them as Before Today they weren't bad at all. They only played one sound clip then, but it was a line from Almost Famous so I didn't mind.
I saw them about a month ago, and they had these cheesy clips that were like little conversations between a guy and a girl, and it was so overdramatic and high school sounding stuff, it really just put me off.
oh and the clips were stupid shit like "He's one of those yeah boys" "I'm so over you dollface", then they'd play the obv song.
I've been listening to this for a while, and I really like it. At first, I only liked a couple of songs, but then they all began to grow on me. I plan on buying it when I see it in stores(no stores near me stock much underground, took me until mid june to get circas new one.)
I think this cd sucks, with the exception of i think track 3 or 4. The vocals are really quiet, and it annoys me to no end. Plus their live show is fuckin terrible. They sound awful and have stupid ass sound clips in between every song in their set.
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