Poison The Well

Live Review: Poison The Well @ The Roxy

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Two years ago I wrote a piece about how Poison The Well should get back together. They were one of those bands that really expanded their sound and evolved in a good way. Fast forward till now and they are back and playing shows again. After playing some festivals and east coast shows last year, Poison The Well finally made their way over to the west coast. I for one couldn’t have been happier that they are back.

Their show at the Roxy featured special guests, hardcore legends Strife. The pure unrelenting attitude that permeated from each individual on stage shows why Strife has always been a force to reckon with live. Their career spanning set was full of songs about unity, peace, and anti violence. Strife was one of the first hardcore bands that I ever listened to way back when. I saw them many years ago, and they still pack one hell of a punch live.

Poison The Well come out on stage in dramatic fashion. Dark stage then lit by blue lights and right into “Ghostchant.” The crowd couldn’t have been more ecstatic and the smile on my face was very bright. Their set which was career spanning as well focused a lot on the albums You Come Before You, The Opposite Of December and Tear From The Red. You could tell that the band was really happy with the crowd and the reaction they were getting. Singer Jeff Moreira would smile a lot during the set. Guitarist Ryan Primack was feeling the good vibes and having fun dressed in his best “Dad shirt.” Drummer Chris Hornbrook hit this drums with such fury and passion. Other highlight songs of the night were “Zombies Are Good For Your Health,” “Purple Sabbath” then straight into “Slice Paper Wrists,” “Karsey Street,” “Apathy Is A Cold Body,” “Crystal Lake,” “Botchla,” and closing out the evening “For A Bandaged Iris,” and “Nerdy.”

Poison The Well delivered just what I was wanting. It was a great night to revisit those songs and see so many people enjoy that Poison The Well came back. It’s amazing how certain albums and songs can hold up so well over time, and have a different meaning now than they did way back when. I for one am very intrigued to see if Poison The Well will continue on and release some new music. Based on the excitement from the crowd at the show, I’m sure most of them would welcome it with open arms.

Poison The Well Set List:

1. Ghostchant

2. Parks And What You Meant To Me

3. Letter Thing

4. Zombies Are Good For Your Health

5. Karsey Street

6. Cinema

7. Purple Sabbath

8. Slice Paper Wrists

9. Apathy Is A Cold Body

10. Pamplemousse

11. Artist’s Rendering Of Me

12. Crystal Lake

13. You Will Not Be Welcomed

14. Botchla

15. To Mandate Heaven

16. For A Bandaged Iris

17. Nerdy

Album Rank: Poison The Well

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Last year Poison The Well announced a few shows marking their return. Today they announced they are playing shows on the west coast during the summer. This news put me in a Poison The Well kind of mood. So here is a ranking of their albums from not their best to the best.

 

Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder:

 

The Opposite Of December:

 

Versions:

 

The Tropic Rot:

 

Tear From The Red:

 

You Come Before You:

Unsung Masterpiece: Poison The Well- You Come Before You
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There comes a time for every band to take the next step with their music. When that time comes, the final product is often times misunderstood and takes a while for the fans to come around. Then there are the new fans that come aboard and really take a liking to the change. In the early 2000’s following the success of their album Tear From The Red, Poison The Well found themselves signing to Atlantic Records and from that point started putting together what would become their third album You Come Before You. They enlisted Swedish producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström who worked on Refused’s monumental album  The Shape Of Punk To Come. Recording for the album started at the legendary Sound City Studio and then moved to Sweden. The end result of these sessions brought out the absolute best in the band. You Come Before You is the album that breaks the mold of post hardcore and allows the bands other influences to shine through. The use of melody throughout really helped to sharpen the bands edge without taking away from their hardcore roots. Opening song “Ghostchant” shows just that. Other stellar songs include “For A Bandaged Iris,” “A) The View From Here Is…B) A Brick Wall,” “Zombies Are Good For Your Health,” “Apathy Is A Cold Body,” “Sounds Like The End Of The World,” and closer “Crystal Lake.” The entire album is sensational if you are into this genre of music. It has even been talked about as one of the most influential albums of the “metalcore” genre. The band really stepped up on this album. Singer Jeff Moreira really developed an identity on this album by taking chances vocally and lyrically. The riffs, tones and all around playing from guitarists Derek Miller and Ryan Primack are crisp and heavy, allowing all the notes to come through. The rhythm section of Chris Hornbrook on drums and Geoff Bergman on bass, are one of the most in the pocket in this genre. After the record was complete, the band started a year and a half tour cycle that took them to around the world. Towards the end though, many of the band members were worn out and unsure if they wanted to continue with Poison the Well. Sadly, guitarist Derek Miller did part ways at this time.

Poison The Well would go on to release 2 more albums that further expanded upon what they started on this album. After the release of their final album The Tropic Rot, the band took a long hiatus, only recently returning to the stage in 2015 for a reunion show. Here’s to hoping they continue on. Poison The Well are one of the more underrated bands in heavy music and helped to make it acceptable to allow melody into the genre.

 

Poison The Well- You Come Before You:

Bands That Should Come Back: Poison The Well

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There comes a time in every bands career when the thought of evolving crosses their mind. It’s never to take away what they’ve done in the past but as a sign of the times of maturity and growth. Poison The Well did just that when they were together. Starting out as a hardcore/metalcore band when they released their album The Opposite Of December, the band eventually started experimenting with melody and different song structures on their great follow up Tear From The Red. This album gave the band the push they needed to continue to evolve their sound and not get stuck in a stagnant spot of regurgitating the same thing. For their next album You Come Before You, the band reached out to Swedish producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström, who worked on the classic album The Shape Of Punk To Come by the Refused. You Come Before You was also their first and only record to be released by a major label, Atlantic Records. Having experienced some level of success with You Come Before You, a long and hard touring cycle left certain members of the band disenchanted. Guitarist Derek Miller quit the band and would later go on to form the alternative band Sleigh Bells (yuck). After months of working and writing material, the band set off in early 2005 to work and record with Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström again in Sweden. Versions was their next step in their evolution. After the touring cycle finished for Versions, the band wasted little time in getting back to writing for what would be their final album The Tropic Rot. This album was sonically large and very focused. All their experimentation, was leading up to this. Sadly it all came apart after the end of touring for The Tropic Rot. The members of Poison The Well announced they were moving on and exploring other musical interests.

It also seems as though what Poison The Well were up to, might have been a little ahead of the times. To constantly be able to be challenged and inspired to create genuinely good pieces of work is not easy and does take a toll. I can only imagine what new material would sound like from them now. So with that in mind, Poison The Well needs to return!

 

Nerdy: The Opposite Of December

Botchla: Tear From The Red

Apathy Is A Cold Body: You Come Before You

Letter Thing: Versions

Exist Underground: The Tropic Rot

 

By: Brian Lacy