pierce the veil full album selfish machines

Starting off with three of the best songs on the record (with “Southern Constellations” placed in there, but given its seamless transition into “The Boy Who Could Fly,” it’s easy to forget about) makes it easy to overlook what’s left. This album is relatively top heavy, especially when compared to A Flair for the Dramatic. While “The Boy Who Could Fly,” “Caraphernalia,” and “Stay Away from My Friends” are all lyrical juggernauts every song (save the effect-laden, incredibly repetitious “Fast Times At Clairmont High”) has at least a lyric or two that is prone to sneaking its way into your head and staying there for hours.īy now you might be wondering, “okay, so the vocals might be a little off-putting, but what else stands in the way of the complete success of this record?” Well, even if you weren’t wondering, I’m going to point it out anyways. Speaking of lyrics, if nothing else, they’re outstandingly catchy. Given the band is a relatively vocal-centric one, Vic’s high-pitched singing can be a huge deciding factor in liking or disliking an otherwise solid band.įuentes is at some point vocally supported by every member of the band, and one guest, Jeremy McKinnon of A Day To Remember (regardless of your feelings of his performance in his own band, his additions to “Caraphernalia” fit outstandingly well.) The backing vocals, while mostly the same, are now harmonically improved, and thus, used more often to support Vic when just his voice isn’t enough for the lyrics he writes. While his vocals certainly command respect for the amount of talent it takes to hit notes that high, they can easily be perceived as whiny or just unpalatable, creating a love-hate relationship. Vic's high-pitched croon soars high above the conglomerate of instruments, matching guitars’ strung-out whine-meeting mixed results. The winding, intricacy of the guitars along with the steady, punchy backup provided by the drums, accompanied with the rumbling low notes of the bass all combine to create one stellar canvas upon which the vocals work their magic. While more audible than on past releases (which isn’t saying much), it still does little more than provide a strong, occasionally fun or technical low end. Not much as changed in realm of bass guitar, sadly. When the time is right, you can hear the occasional speedy and intricate flam roll or double bass fill, but often times, he sticks to a simple, fun drum part which keeps the song moving along.

He plays competently and quickly, but not in a showy-fill laden manner. As far as percussion goes, Mike provides a standard post-hardcore backbone-which is not a bad thing. Tony and Vic can still be heard many times in many tracks simply playing along, strumming neither incompetently nor overzealously. Currently, the guitars are hard at work, no longer simply fitting the mood of a given song, but often defining the mood of the song-be it the jump-start intro to “Besitos,” or the subtle classical guitar in “The New National Anthem.” This isn’t to say the guitars are always dominant, or in your face. Previously, while the guitar was always there, it was never really…well… there. The guitars, for one, now stand out much more than they did on A Flair for the Dramatic, and are more technical, more often. The area that has undergone the most noticeable of changes would be the all around instrumentation on Selfish Machines. The result? A stellar release that will do nothing but further polarize the band’s following. Four-piece post-hardcore outfit Pierce the Veil, however, chose a different path for their sophomore effort, Selfish Machines: that of improving and refining their already infectiously catchy melodies and pseudo-technical instrumentation, without “redefining” themselves as a band, or altogether changing their sound in the process. While some bands choose to change their sound (either for the better or worse) with each album, some bands in turn absolutely refuse to tweak their sound and keep coming back to the same formula-also for better or worse. Tony Perry: Lead guitar and backing vocalsĬhange can be a band’s best friend or it’s worst enemy. Jamie Preciado: Bass, programming and backing vocals

Mike Fuentes: Drums, percussion and backing vocals Vic Fuentes: Lead vocals and rhythm guitar Review Summary: Pierce the Veil refine their catchy style of post-hardcore into a more precise sophomore effort.

Pierce the veil full album selfish machines