In our first review of the new year, we’re extremely honoured for it to be about the legend that is, Frank Iero, and his newest material. Sticking to his Future Violents – although now technically spelt as Violence – the same members who brought you Barriers back in 2019, are at work again on its companion piece, Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place.
Only four songs, it takes you just over fifteen minutes to get through, but you know what they say about short and sweet. Every song slams into you with the force of a symphony, grabbing you by the collar and dragging you through highs and lows as it navigates the multiple textures of both instrumentation and lyricism.
Texture that’s especially prevalent in how the vocals are layered on ‘Record Ender’; the brilliant final song that takes its time working into a crescendo, but man, when it hits, it crashes with the intensity of a twenty foot wave.
Never one to shy away from wearing his heart on his sleeve, there’s a suckerpunch of emotions in everything from the warble of his voice to the off kilter, and at times, sludgy instrumentation.
It’s a moody EP and with it, Frank Iero shows his evolution from guitarist to a fully fledged and intelligent songwriter who uses every tool in his arsenal to create something meaningful.
