I know I’m excited about this and many of you are too. Poison The Well have announced their first NEW ALBUM is 16 years!! Peace In Place will arrive on March 20, 2026 via Sharptone Records. The new album was produced by Will Putney (Better Lovers, Every Time I Die, etc) and it sounds as sharp (no pun intended) and direct as I’d hope it would. The first single “Thoroughbreds” has some reminders of the Tear From The Red era mixed with where they left off with The Tropic Rot. As a long time Poison The Well fan this is quite exciting. Their reunion show a few years back proved that their comeback was needed. Then each time they’d come back to celebrate The Opposite Of December or You Come Before You, you could feel it in the crowd that Poison The Well was coming back like a force of nature! March 20th can’t come soon enough!!
Every so often, a band will release an album that changes everything for the band and genre. 25 years ago, Poison The Well released their debut full length, The Opposite Of December and it set forth a path that would go on to help pioneer a genre and inspire a new bunch of bands. Their distinctive “metalcore” sound has become often imitated but, there’s nothing like hearing the real thing! Joining Poison The Well on this celebratory tour are 2 of my favorites new and old in Better Lovers and Glassjaw as well as Teenage Wrist. When this show pulled into the Hollywood Palladium on a beautiful Friday night, the wake of destruction that was upon all those in attendance would not be for the faint of heart. This show was designed to go off the instant it starts and oh boy did it! NOTE- Continued on next page (look below).
I’m sure I’m not alone in being excited that after 15 years we finally have new music from Poison The Well. Today got a very welcome and exciting new song from the group entitled, “Trembling Level.” this song is a pretty good encapsulation of Poison The Well and it sort of picks up where 2009’s underrated The Tropic Rot. In an interesting development, former guitarist Derek Miller is credited with being one of the songwriters for this track alongside drummer Christopher Hornbrook, vocalist Jeffrey Moriera and guitarist Ryan Primack. This song will be a part of a band new album produced by Will Putney! I for one am stoked on having new Poison The Well. I will hopefully see some of you at their upcoming tour with Glassjaw and Better Lovers!
Poison The Well’s third album and major label debut, You Come Before You, is one of the best heavy albums of the new millennium. I remember the summer of 2003 when it came out and how it was a shotgun blast of WOW! I was already into the band via their previous album, Tear From The Red and was very much anticipating You Come Before You. As much as I liked Tear From The Red, and it’s a a banger, You Come Before You always had a bit more to it. The natural evolution of the band showed through on YCBY and the live show at this time too was on another level. A few years back when Poison The Well announced their reunion I was beyond stoked and the LA show they played was top notch. As we come up on 20 years of You Come Before You, I’ve gone back and to the album and keep reminding myself why it’s so good. I could and probably will do a whole piece about the album but, right now I just want to focus on the final song on the album, “Crystal Lake.” It’s one of those end of album songs that encapsulates the record and leaves a bit of a trail of impending things to come. The song itself is ferocious and it’s teeth really sink in from the moment Chris Hornbrook’s drums start. Then as soon as it’s over, you feel compelled to start the album over!
Poison The Well- Crystal Lake:
Poison The Well- Crystal Lake (Live At Warped Tour 2003):
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.
AUDIOECLECTICA 