Poison The Well - 2006 Demo Record

Band : Poison the Well

Album : Demo Record

Release Year : 2006

Genre : Post-Hardcore | Metalcore

Tracklist :

01.A#1
02.Number 2 vocal edit
03.Oceanbreast
04.Punker
05.Break
06.Rockfuckcunt

Poison The Well recently saw the leak of some early demo recordings. The band began working their upcoming full length last spring, and the recording has been delayed by various circumstances.

The band had this to say:
So, I guess some of our old demos leaked out on the internet some how. Just to give a brief history on them, those where the first songs we had wrote when we started writing for the new record and where the first songs we wrote with Jason and Ben in the mix. Some of the songs where incomplete vocally and the very early stages of maturity. We did them about a year and 2 months ago at this place called the Steakhouse. The quality isn't the best, but you get the idea. Not all the songs are going to be used for the record, just some. So, if you happen to come across them, don't think that they are the final versions or songs that will make the cut.
With that in mind though, the band added: "I'm sure you can find them on Limewire or any type of file trading program. There are about 7 of them. ." The band is not expecting a new full length till the middle of 2006 at the earliest. Since the release of the their last record, You Come Before You in 2003, the band has seen the departure of guitarist Derek Miller and bassist Mike Gordill. They also spent this past summer on the Sounds of the Underground tour. Well, it leaked in 2006, and here's the file!!

Facebook

GET IT!

+

Poison The Well - 2001 Unreleased Split 7 Inch

Band : Poison the Well

Album : Unreleased Split 7 Inch

Release Year : 2001

Genre : Post-Hardcore | Metalcore

Tracklist :

01 Sticks And Stones Never Made Sense (Early Version)
02 Today (Smashing Pumpkins)

If you've never heard this before, this was recorded in between The Opposite of December and Tear From The Red with the lineup being Jeff, Ryan, Derek, and Chris (Ryan played bass on the recording as well as guitar). The story behind these songs is they were recorded originally to released as a split with Twelve Tribes. That fell through which led the tracks to then be slated to be released as a split with Tallahassee straight edge band A New Kind Of American Saint. While this was happening, SA Mob Records and Jawk Records were co-releasing the record and had some problems as well. To make a long story short, this record never came out and to be honest, its a real shame. I STRONGLY prefer this version of "Sticks and Stones..." to the one on Tear From The Red (not saying I dont like that version, but I prefer the recording on this one). Also, the band recorded a cover of Smashing Pumpkins "Today". Again, these have been circulating for a while but its nice to have the band say "yes its okay for people to have this". Enjoy.

GET IT!

Poison the Well - 2009 I-III II-III III-III

Band : Poison the Well

Album : I-III / II-III / III-III

Release Year : 2009

Genre : Post-Hardcore | Metalcore

Tracklist :

1. New Fast
2. Purple Sabbath
3. Shuffle
4. Bowie
5. A# No. 1
6. Gone Clean

New Fast is a track that holds as much energy as anything from 'The Opposite Of December' with new the age Poison the Well writing style. It fast, upbeat, and addictive. This song is great opening and gives you the feel of the entire album.
Some songs are slower, with almost clean parts, (see parts of 'Purple Sabbath' and 'Bowie'), but most follo this pattern of fast an upbeat, happy feeling songs from a band that last released a dark one (again, in my opinion). Jeffrey does a lot of singing on this one, with many harmonious parts (most of 'A# No.1'), which creat catchy choruses that you'll be humming for days afterwards.
Most of the songs are quite short, which is annoying, just when you really get into them they're over (Gone Clean is 1:02) and because of this, you sometimes dont feel as if the song isn't done, as if the thought hasn't finished. Some songs lack in interesting parts or hooks (i.e. 'Bowie', 'Gone Clean') but the other 4 are so catchy it will make up for it.
Overall, a good mid-LP release that got me more stoked about the upcoming 'Tropic Rot' Poison the Well plans to release. Easy quick-pick up-and-listen songs that don't require much thought, but will have you hooked. Basically, if you liked Versions you'll like there, they aren't reinventing their sound, just cruising on it, which at this point, is just fine with me. -Slimjim367

 

 

Facebook 

BUY IT! 

GET IT! 

 

 

 

 

Poison the Well - 2009 The Tropic Rot

Band : Poison the Well

Album : The Tropic Rot

Release Year : 2009

Genre : Post-Hardcore | Metalcore

Tracklist :

1. Exist Underground
2. Sparks It Will Rain
3. Cinema
4. Pampelmoosse
5. Who Doesn't Love A Good Dismemberment
6. Antarctica Inside Me
7. When You Lose I Lose As Well
8. Celebrate the Pyre
9. Are You Anywhere
10. Makeshift Clay You
11. Without You and One Other I Am Nothing

Despite all this excessive admiration, this album is not without flaws. Many lyrics seem forced and come off as tacky, such as the butterflies bit in Sparks it Will Rain and the opening and later repeated line in Are You Anywhere?. This is unfortunate because the lyrics are otherwise spectacular, far above average for the genre. Sparks it Will Rain is also the most boring track on the album, but my biggest quip is with Celebrate the Pyre, which had potential to instill a load of adrenaline into the latter half of the album. The song is driven by some initially nice guitar work, but it’s too simple, tedious, and an ensuing abbreviated chorus dooms the song. The band was too conservative here, and lack the effort displayed everywhere else. In the end the main thing holding the album back though is its lack of a transcendent feeling, something accomplished by an As the Roots Undo or, for Converge enthusiasts, a Jane Doe. It is outstanding but has the potential to be forgotten come the end of the year and everyone’s favorite “best of” lists.

While some fans that in the past had trouble letting go of the breakdown ridden Poison the Well will more likely enjoy August Burns Red’s Constellations over this, hardcore aficionados will certainly appreciate the band’s latest release. Regardless of which genre it falls under (this is such an amalgam of genres there are even hints of screamo, more so than the run of the mill post-hardcore/metalcore album), the band finally created the album they had through previous albums been working towards. Far from a masterpiece, it is still a worthy addition to their now expansive discography. Looking back on their past trends, one could suspect another change in direction for their next album assuming they don’t call it quits. Either way, this album slays, and merits a listen or two so long as you can handle any sort of mildly heavy music in your diet. -Justin Taslak

Facebook

BUY IT!

GET IT!

Poison The Well - 2002 Tear From The Red

Band : Poison the Well

Album : Tear From The Red

Release Year : 2002

Genre : Post-Hardcore | Metalcore

Tracklist :

1. Botchla
2. Lazzaro
3. Turn Down Elliot
4. Rings From Corona
5. Moments Over Exaggerate
6. Horns And Tails
7. Sticks And Stones Never Made Sense
8. Pieces Of You In Me
9. Karsey Street
10. Parks And What You Meant To Me

The Opposite Of December was an instant classic and an album that put an intense spotlight on Poison The Well. They blew the doors off on combining melody with untethered aggression. However, at the time that Poison the Well was set to write their follow-up to such a genre-defining album, they must have noticed how many bands were coming out of the woodwork and taking their basic sound, piggy-backing on something that at the time was incredibly original. This molesting of their sound within the scene seemed like it could have been the death of Poison The Well, the option of being drowned in a sea of their own imitators seemed very legitimate. However PTW has always had something that their imitators have never had: the flair for experimentation.

In many ways Tear From The Red can be seen as an extension of The Opposite Of December. The balance between melody and aggression is still there, something PTW has perfected and revolutionized. “Botchla” kicks the album off perfectly, with a softly strummed opening of ”but I adore her” followed by a kick in the chest. This song also lets things know that some things have changed. PTW decided to go in a slightly more straightforward direction, with more passages that seem that they wouldn’t be out of place on a hard rock album. The jury is out on whether or not this change of direction was done to combat and distance themselves from their imitators or if it was the result of their rushed recording schedule, but those passages don’t really mesh well with the harder parts of the album and feel a bit tacked on.

Jeffrey Moreira’s vocals once again amaze. His gut-wrenching scream and heartfelt singing perfectly juxtapose each other in a way that bands forced to use two vocalists simply cannot achieve. His vocals make you believe and accept the lyrics he puts forth, despite the fact that on more than one occasion a line or two will make you cringe. There is an air of authenticity to his words that seem to make the clichéd lines feel genuine. Tear From The Red is still full of dissonance and unbridled aggression, but it just doesn’t seem to hit as hard as The Opposite Of December. The breakdowns that riddle the album are slightly more stale, and the guitar lines and drumming don’t have quite the same effect as their debut.

Tear From The Red still has many high points however. “Rings From Corona” is an absolute killer of a song, with a feeling of desperation that pervades the entire song. The aforementioned “Botchla” and “Turn Down Elliot” have absolute moments of brilliance that shows the band firing on all cylinders. The closer is the real gem here though, where bone-crushing aggression fills the song for the first two minutes, with an almost perfectly serene middle section, causing a “calm in the eye of the storm” effect.

Poison The Well’s sophomore album shows a band in a state of awkward transition. Needing to distance themselves from the flooded sea of bands that had taken their ideas caused Tear From The Red to be a mish-mash of proven ideas and uncomfortable experimentation. However, there is a very strangely appealing aspect to the album that makes it very listenable despite its many flaws. To this day Tear From The Red is Poison The Well’s most accessible album, one that is an incredibly intriguing listen. This album will always be the low point in the metalcore innovator’s early catalogue, yet is still better than the majority of albums that have popped up trying to copy the sound of Poison The Well.

GET IT!