PALISADES | Erase The Pain } Album Review

As we've seen many times throughout the metalcore and post-hardcore world, bands within the realm have strayed far away from their original styles in order to encompass more soundscapes, leaving those who have been less able to expand their tastes to a seemingly lesser backdrop. Bands like Palisades are a perfect example of that. Coming onto the scene in 2012 with their EP "I'm Not Dying Today", and transcending into album making territory with 2013's "Outcasts", which featured a metalcore style intertwined with elements of electronicore, Palisades are not the same band they once were at the beginning of the 2010's. That is proven four albums into the band's career with their latest project, "Erase The Pain". Produced by legendary rock producer Howard Benson, this record is the continuation of the style found on the band's self-titled record, which mixed in much more of a melodic alt-metal/nu metal vibe iinto its core sound along with a small dose of the electronic elements the band has incorporated into their heavy sound throughout nearly their entire existence in the music world. The difference is that much of the metalcore aspects are barely even recognizable as the ten tracks on this album feature more of a prominent standard rock sound that many former metalcore bands are going for. Even though it is noticeable that this is seemingly a desirable idea for most bands, what really is the key factor in making this album work is if there is a consistency throughout the ten tracks that keeps you on board. 

Before the release of this disc, two singles were released to the public to showcase the more polished rock sound of "Erase The Pain". The first of these, "War", arrived in October, meanwhile the second single "Fragile Bones" was made available for listening back in November. Both tracks exhibit a more accessible and radio-tailered style throughout their runtime and don't pull any punches on getting to the goods. "War" can be heard early on in the album and is arguably one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest song you will come across on "Erase The Pain", while still maintaining a verse-chorus structure and an infectious hook that sells the song. Vocalist Louis Miceli Jr. has a screamed vocal register that mirrors the late Chester Bennington at certain points while his sung vocals are just as well layered in front of the instrumental work which is basic but effective, and the writing that shows that Palisades are talented in the songwriting and can really make something that has quality to it. The same could be said for "Fragile Bones" which deviates from melodic verses to hard-hitting choruses that give the song its own impactful presence. What's also noticeable with these two tracks is the darker tone they have compared to previous albums which in actuality is something present on much of the songs that make this album, but especially on "War", it is delivered in an almost unending fashion. 

The rest of the album continues on the road that the two singles kickstarted, with all of the ten tracks featured on the album carrying good melodies, hooks, songwriting, and overall quality. Tracks like "Vendetta", the title cut, "Push", "Ghost", and "Shed My Skin" are among the heavier set of the tracks and most of these succeed with what they are doing throughout. "Vendetta" especially kicks the album off on a heavy note carrying several similarities to Trust Company's song "Downfall" although still having an identity of its own. "Shed My Skin" is another example with its intimidating ambient verses that eventually lead into a hook-centered chorus that works extremely well to its benefit. That's what I really find myself coming back to on this album by the way. The hooks, especially in each of the choruses on these tracks, are well delivered and stick with you even after multiple listens. The best examples of this that I can find are in several of the aforementioned cuts, but more specifically on the tracks "Fade" and "Ways To Disappear". "Fade" feels like it was meant to be released as a single and succeeds on every level to be listenable, meanwhile "Ways To Disappear" is one of this album's softer moments, but has one of the catchiest and most memorable choruses I've heard in a while. I cannot stress enough that the hooks are the major selling point of this entire album, and it's Palisades' biggest strength as a writing team. 

With every passable album comes a couple of weaknesses. Some tracks like the title cut and "Patient" don't register as the best tracks on the album with the title cut featuring some prominent vocal manipulations that take me out of the song. Also, this isn't a very long album, lasting a brisk 35 minutes without a single four-minute cut in its track listing. The only one that comes close to the mark is "Ways To Disappear" at just three minutes and 58 seconds. But, even with that small criticism, there is a lot of good material to take in within the amount of time this album lasts. Though the tracks on this album are not anything new or original by any means, Palisades have proven on "Erase The Pain" that they are able to make a consistent project that doesn't really have an abysmal or bad track to its name and rather the lesser cuts are mediocre compared to the rest. Overall, Palisades' fourth studio album proves to be a successful continuation of the straight-forward hard rock style found on their previous self-titled with great hooks and songwriting that stands out on each track. While fans of earlier Palisades material could potentially yearn for the older days, there isn't much denial in the fact that this album has enough to please any post-hardcore or hard rock fan, erasing any doubts in the process. 

RATING: 8/10 

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