In the space of barely a breath, Poison The Well pacify fits of jarring brutality with moments of fragile beauty.
Their unmistakable melodic hardcore gently dilutes the venom of trauma, betrayal, depression, and loss with hard-won wisdom and diligently earned self-acceptance. For as much force as they commit to the riffs and the breakdowns, there’s an equal amount of naked emotion encoded in their relatable hooks. At this point, they are unassumingly, yet undeniably embedded in the DNA of modern metal and hardcore. Poison The Well’s 1999 debut, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation has claimed spots on Brooklyn Vegan’s “15 ‘90s Metalcore Albums That Still Resonate Today,” KERRANG!’s “21 Best U.S. Metalcore Albums of All Time,”Loudwire’s “25 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time,” and Revolver’s “10 Most Influential Metalcore Albums of All Time.” Stereogum put it best, “The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation influenced a whole generation of metalcore bands.” Meanwhile, 2003’s You Come Before You remains regarded among Metal Hammer’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century” and Rock Sound’s “250 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime.” Despite going on hiatus following 2009’s The Tropic Rot, the group’s influence has only expanded over the years (as evidenced by over 100 million streams across their catalog). After touring in 2015 and 2021, they’ve commemorated milestone birthdays of both You Come Before You and The Opposite of December with in-demand headline jaunts.
Once again, the members—Jeff Moreira [vocals], Ryan Primack [guitar], and Chris Hornbrook [drums]—felt an intense need to create as a unit. Rallying together, the guys channeled the spirit of their most celebrated material through a prism of new experience on their fifth full-length offering, Peace In Place [SHARPTONE].
“The album is emotionally heavy and pissed-off, but it’s exactly where we want to be, hence the title Peace In Place,” notes Jeff. “There’s a lot of concentrated and raw emotion from experiences we’ve gone through. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the opportunity to record a body of work together, so all of our feelings are coming out now. As a collective, we’re happy though. We get the opportunity to write music, play shows, share how we feel in a healthy way, and maybe even connect with other people. That’s what this has always been.”
Back in 2022, Poison The Well decided to cut a full band rendition of “Horns and Tails” for inclusion on the 20th Anniversary Edition of Tear From The Red. Re-energized by the process, the musicians effectively picked up where they had left off a decade earlier. Eventually, they tapped GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Will Putney [Body Count, Knocked Loose] to helm what would become Peace In Place at his studio throughout 2025.
“Will was able to focus everyone,” Jeff elaborates. “He’s incredible at lyrics and guitars, and he would offer some very different ideas. I’d be super excited when he liked what I was writing, because I felt like I was passing the exam since he’s so good. Thanks to his input, I think the lyrics are the best they’ve ever been.”
The band tested the waters with “Trembling Level.” Standing out as their first release in 15 years, it arrived to widespread acclaim from Brooklyn Vegan, Consequence of Sound, Revolver, and Stereogum who applauded how, “‘Trembling Level’ embraces everything from their aggressive metalcore side to their melodic post-hardcore side to their more experimental side.” It proved to be for harbinger of Peace In Place, increasing anticipation.
Now, the single “Thoroughbreds” draws everyone into the album’s embrace. A tense palm-muted riff unravels over a galloping drum groove buttressed by swells of distortion. Jeff alternates between intense and introspective as he laments, “Your voice kills mine.” Teeming with aggression, chugging guitar fuels the final breakdown.
“My high school mascots are the Thoroughbreds,” he states. “The name made sense, because most of my current relationships came from my hometown. Those bonds were forged in high school when I started to figure out who I was. So, the song is about the disappointment of realizing the relationships you thought would strengthen over time actually fail later on in life. When you’ve had friends for 25 years, you believe, ‘We’re solid,’ but even those ties sever. You don’t necessarily get wisdom with age.”
Ominous bass rumbles beneath “Everything Hurts.” The haunting vocals melt into sparse drums during the verses. Clean guitar echoes through reverb, and Jeff exhales, “Though I shouldered all your pain, you weren’t the only one. We’re the same. I had my moments too. Would you believe it’s true?”
“Not every relationship is easy, but you’ll see a reason for it,” he remarks. “You keep people around you who you want to have around, because they have something to offer and you have something to offer them. While you’re adding value by being forgiving, patient, and empathetic, you’ve got to realize you’re not perfect either.”
Then, there’s “Weeping Tones.” The track’s pummeling six-string groove engages a full-scale sensory onslaught. The sonic assault and battery gives way a tenderly mournful bridge punctuated by an elegiac mantra, “It’s a light around the rose, but it’s gone, so gone.”
“You’re losing the ability to be yourself and have autonomy,” Jeff says. “ ‘Weeping Tones’ is a reminder that a lot of situations will make you feel suffocated.”
“Wax Mask” begins the record on a fitting note. Feedback squeals until the vocalist sighs, “I’ll change my colors and show myself out.” It culminates on a roar, “These hands that drag us down. We claim our peace in place.”
“We tried to convey feelings of growth, which the whole record encompasses,” he reveals. “It’s a positive change. Even though it sounds really angry, we’ve wrapped it in a hopeful package.”
The trip concludes with “Plague Them The Most.” Tethered to controlled instrumental chaos, the frontman promises to “never again grind my teeth in the name of kindness, never again to bite my tongue in the name of mercy.”
“You’re basically a prisoner in your own mind, and you feel as if you’re not even allowed to ask questions,” he comments. “Some people are too rigid and don’t want to have conversations. This blockade stalls a lot of the progress you could make to better your life.”
Peace In Place embodies Poison The Well to the core, and it signals a bright future.
“Poison Well is always going to be true to Poison The Well,” Jeff leaves off. “We do this because we love creating music together; there’s no other reason. Anything you hear on this album comes from a 100% genuine place."