Poison The Well vocalist Jeffrey Moreira spoke to Again! in a new cover story about the band’s long-awaited album, Peace In Place, set for release on March 20. This marks the group’s first studio album in fifteen years and signals a renewed chapter for the melodic metalcore pioneers.
While Poison The Well are now widely recognized as genre trailblazers, Moreira admits the years following their 2010 hiatus weren’t exactly spent basking in gratitude from younger acts. “I don’t feel like, ‘We walked so those bands could run!’ or anything like that (laughs),” Moreira told Kerrang!.
“They had to leave stuff behind, spend years on tour, play shit venues, and slowly build themselves to this point. That’s what anyone does following their dream. It’s great that fans are more accepting now. We were called sell-outs just for signing to Atlantic, even though we put out arguably the heaviest record on Atlantic at that point. I’m happy that bands don’t have to deal with that shit anymore.”
Moreira also reflected on the band’s subtle influence on today’s metalcore landscape, suggesting that while Poison The Well’s presence lingers, it’s mostly a “barely-perceptible wisp of smoke.” He added, “Hopefully that much broader fanbase of acts like Spiritbox or Knocked Loose will go back and discover some of the awesome bands that came before.”
For Peace In Place, the band intentionally balanced reverence for their roots with a fresh perspective. “We’re writing to fulfill the things we love in this band. If any of us wanted to do anything different, we’d start another band,” Moreira said.
“Whether that’s made for ‘a classic’ is something that only time will tell. On The Opposite Of December…, we were just trying to get people to sing along. On You Come Before You, we wanted to have the heaviest record on a major label. Here we wanted an album that tastefully and respectfully understands what Poison The Well is – and an acknowledgement that Jeffrey likes a bunch of heavy shit.”
Encouragingly, the band is already thinking beyond this release. “Beyond that? We’ve already talked about writing more songs. And more than the songs themselves, I think it’s a good sign that we’re already talking about the next record. Seeing the outcome of our labors has been a big motivator.
“It hasn’t been easy. There were a bunch of blockades. But having that finished vinyl in your hands gives you such a massive high. So I guess now we’ll just keep making music until we don’t want to anymore – or until there’s no-one left to listen…”
Want More Metal? Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter
Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings