In the late '90s, the Florida band Poison The Well pioneered an epic, grand-scale form of metallic hardcore, and their 1999 debut album The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation influenced a whole generation of metalcore bands. Over the next decade, PTW released four more albums, and they went through a small army of band members. One of those ex-members is Derek Miller, who played guitar on The Opposite Of December and who is now one half of Sleigh Bells. Coincidentally enough, they just returned yesterday with "Wanna Start A Band?," their first song in a few years. Now, Poison The Well are back, too.
Poison The Well have actually been back for a bit, but they haven't been releasing music. The band went on hiatus in 2010, but they first reunited in 2015, and they've been playing occasional shows since then. A few years ago, the band members decided to get PTW going as a full-time band again and to start work on their next album. In the meantime, there's been an underground revival of their style of heavy hardcore, with echoes of their sound coming through in recent records from bands like Contention and Balmora. Now, Poison The Well have signed with SharpTone and shared "Trembling Level," their first new song since their initial breakup. It's a big, sleek, heavy track with some big moments of tortured melody.
In a press release, guitarist Ryan Primack says, "For me, I was trying to figure how to effectively incorporate elements from our whole discography into one song. We ended up with this, and it has a little bit of everything we've done throughout the course of our existence." Singer Jeff Moreira says, "Lyrically, it's about tackling a fear. I tend to write based on personal experience. You're approaching something you're scared to do, going through it, and realizing the hardest parts are actually the ones you should be looking towards because those will lead you to success."
Poison The Well haven't announced their new album, but they have announced a big tour for the 25th anniversary of The Opposite Of December. At most of their shows, they'll share the bill with Glassjaw, Better Lovers, and Teenage Wrist. Below, check out the "Trembling Level" video and the band's tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
4/03 — Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater ^#
4/04 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium *^#
4/05 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield *^#
4/07 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^#
4/09 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo ^#
4/11 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot ^#
4/12 — Denver, CO @ The Summit ^#
4/13 — Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall ^#
4/15 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory *^#
4/16 — Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater *^#
4/18 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *^#
4/19 — Orlando, FL @ The Beacham ^#
4/21 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ^#
4/22 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *^#å
4/23 — Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *^#
4/25 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall *^#
4/26 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner *^#
4/27 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount *^#
4/29 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall ^
* with Glassjaw
^ with Better Lovers
# with Teenage Wrist
