Collide With The Sky – Caught in the Crossfire

PIERCE THE VEIL
w/Crown The Empire, The Getaway Plan
The Underworld, London
21st September 2012

It’s a great feeling when you can sense excitement in the air. Tonight’s show at Underworld sold out long in advance and every punter inside this dungeon like venue is experiencing the same static charge that makes neck hair stand to attention. Senses are heightened as the show kicks off.

First on are Australian rockers The Getaway Plan. After a short hiatus the boys are over on our shores to seduce with their impressive melodies. Definitely the most mainstream of all acts on the bill tonight, but there’s no shame in that when the sophisticated ‘The Reckoning‘ is delivered to perfection. The Getaway Plan perform solidly, and will most definitely have drawn in a few new fans with their set.

Crown The Empire are what many dislike about metalcore these days. Their gimmick laden nonsense wins the hearts of the crowd but would see metal gods of the past turning in their graves. Random dustup elements, generic riffs and mock brutal breakdowns with dual clean and screamed vocals defines their music. Imagine The Blackout combined with Asking Alexandria finished off with an overdose of American sleaze. In their matching suits and styled haircuts Crown The Empire are every scene kid’s wet dream. Fair play to the band, they know what is working in the market currently, they will develop a loyal following from younger metal fans, but their musical integrity is questionable.

Just like with Crown The Empire, the average age of a Pierce The Veil fan at the Underworld tonight seems to be about 16. But the difference with Pierce The Veil is that their music can appeal to a much wider audience than those screaming in front of them; their music isn’t made to target a particular market, their sound feels sincere and a genuine combination of heart-felt cultural and musical influences.

With tracks from ‘Collide The Sky‘ now making a welcome appearance on PTV’s set list, their repertoire has been turned up a notch. The fast paced ‘Hell Above‘ makes for a triumphant opener that instantly portrays the bands intent to make this show a great one. ‘Bulls In The Bronx‘ contains one of this years sweetest solos and proves to be song structure excellence in a live environment. Old favourites like ‘Caraphernelia‘ and ‘Bulletproof Love‘ result in mass sing-alongs and crowd surfing frenzies. Ending with ‘King For A Day‘ sums up Pierce The Veil’s dominance, they own this show and have performed impeccably tightly in this crowed sweat box.

Pierce The Veil provide a masterclass tonight. Although they could be battling in an over saturated market, they are carving their own way, breaking out and away from stereotypes with something unique and undeniably special.

Words & Photos: Emma Wallace

PIERCE THE VEIL
Collide With The Sky
(Fearless Records)

Don’t let the screaming and synths put you off. Pierce The Veil have crafted an album with a depth of sound and intricate melodies that you can totally get lost in. Singer Vic’s vocals soar above searing guitars and pummeling drumbeats but there are interludes of quiet amongst the full-on noise. The overwhelmingly heavy instrumentals are offset by the sheer melody of the vocals throughout although there’s admittedly the odd background scream here and there to keep the intensity up.

The riff on ‘Bulls In The Bronx’ is ballsy and bold, leading into a catchy melodic chorus punctuated with a guttural growl. A bizarre acoustic guitar picked interlude brings a samba-influenced flavor to proceedings before building back into the heaviness. Production is intense throughout this record, with the sound always feeling very big. There are also several guest spots on the album, the most notable being Jason Aalon from letlive. on the truly epic centrepoint ‘Tangled In The Great Escape’. His slightly deeper melodies intertwine with Vic’s higher pitched vocals to create something quite special. The chorus is one of the catchiest on the record yet unassumingly so and elegantly put together. It’s almost six minutes long and a lot happens in that time. Heavy and gracefully beautiful in twists and turns (see the piano epilogue), this is definitely a standout track.

With proggy, screamo, hardcore and punk elements, along with PTV’s unique ability to bring in the unusual instrumentals, this album is an ambitious and impressive effort.

Sarah Maynard