POISON THE WELL - The Tropic Rot
POISON THE WELL - The Tropic Rot
Written by Sarah Mudgway   
Tuesday, 28 July 2009 21:34
poison the well - tropic rot POISON THE WELL
is a name, which is instantly recognizable to anyone who has been involved in the hardcore/post-hardcore/metal scenes of the last decade.

Having been through a somewhat endless revolving door line-up of members (only 2 of the current 5 members have been in PTW for its entirety, which now includes 23 ex-members).

As well as releasing the scene cult classic 'The Opposite of December' almost a decade ago, it wasn’t uncommon to hear long-time fans ponder the possibility that Poison The Well were no longer the band they grew to know and love, upon the release of their western-inspired 'Versions' in 2007.

Two years later and Poison the Well are back with 'The Tropic Rot'. It’s not quite as hardcore as 'The Opposite of December' and it’s not quite as Southern as 'Versions', instead landing in a happy medium which is a little more mainstream... yet still retaining their edge. It’s hardcore meets rock, and it’s worth a listen.

Opening track 'Exist Underground’ sets the tone for the rest of the album, with a mid-paced hard-rock number which showcases vocalist Jeffery Moriera's ability to carry hardcore elements with his trademark scream, as well as showing his softer side with melodic singing. 'Sparks It Will Rain' and 'Cinema' follow a similar formula as the album opener. The constant battle of the harsh versus the melodic - which while being effective in creating decent tracks - seems to be at times a little safe and repetitive throughout.

That being said, fourth track 'Pamplemoosse' jumps out as a signal to not lose hope in originality. The song, which is carried by a solid drum-beat, only has very subtle guitar riffs which leave the path wide open for Moriera to make or break, of which he does the latter. Later track 'Who Doesn’t Like A Dismemberment?' at points reminds me of an early Deftones, however it is easily lost in the middle of the album and is not instantly memorable.

'Antarctica Inside Me' is one of my immediate favourites on the album, starting off with melodic introduction which rises into an early-hardcore inspired verse before slowing down for a straight up rock chorus, which wouldn’t go amiss on mainstream radio. My only disappointment with the track is the at times lacklustre lyrics such as; “I live with a ballerina”, which even with a solid instrumental backing seem to fall a little flat.

The phrase “I’ll be proud of you no matter what” is written in the right hand corner of an otherwise blank inside cover of 'The Tropic Rot'. Given the definite improvement from their last release, Poison The Well have provided an album which fans can be proud of, and will undoubtedly make new fans out of first-time listeners.
 

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