Having emerged in the early 2000s, during a time that Emo and Post-Hardcore music was at its peak, was the Ridgewood, New Jersey based band Senses Fail. Even over a decade later, the band inarguably has remained one of the most influential and consistent bands around. Within a span of thirteen years, they have released six studio albums, which includes the infamous 2004 debut album Let It Enfold You and the ever popular 2006 release, Still Searching. From 2004 to 2010, the band was signed under Vagrant Records, and it was during this time that Senses Fail made their mark in the musical world with their enraged lyrics and emotional melodies. Songs like “Buried a Lie” and “The Priest and the Matador” were all the rage amongst the young audiences, and could be found on every high schooler’s MP3 player or mixed CD. The band continued to grow over the years, as well as their listeners.
Fast-forward to the present day, the members of Senses Fail have reached a new age; not only with the new generation of music, but quite literally themselves. The angsty teenage years were behind them, and it was time to give fans a new perspective. After recently switching over from Vagrant to Staple Records in 2012, and then from Staple to Pure Noise Records in 2014, Senses Fail announced a new album in the making. This was proof that the band was not one of those that let themselves slip away into the shadows, but powered through the rise and fall to what is now known as the “Emo-revival.” This new and upcoming record would break through what appears to be Senses Fail’s biggest transformation yet. A band once encased in youthfulness would begin to spread their wings of maturity, metamorphosing into what would be known as their sixth record release, Pull The Thorns From Your Heart.
In contrast to their previous records, 2015’s Pull The Thorns From Your Heart would notably have the longest duration time of songs, with each averaging out to almost four minutes long. This change of pace presents itself for audiences to not just hear the music, but to actively take it in and listen. This album also would not fit very well into the mold of what the former Senses Fail sounded like in rest of their discography, but is by far just another tacked-on album. This time around, Senses Fail pulled from the very heart of what Post-Hardcore roots they had and stretched out the exposure of the magnitude within their new songs. This development would be the most important part of the “listen, not hear” approach, most evidently found in album title track, “Pull The Thorns From Your Heart.”
Aside from the time change of the songs, another change was made pertaining to the band’s recent release. Over the years almost every founding member of Senses Fail left to pursue other musical careers and projects, leaving only the original vocalist (Buddy Nielsen) and drummer (Dan Trapp) behind. It was not until around the time Renacer was released that Trapp also decided to travel a different path. This in turn introduces Chris Hornbrook into the mix. Previously known as the drummer for Metalcore band Poison the Well, Hornbrook is no stranger to creating heavy, hard-hitting beats. As drums are considered to be the spine of songs and can either make or break a band, Senses Fail was not even close to breaking with their newest addition. Nielsen mentioned before in an interview that he wanted to pull the band closer towards a heavier approach in music, and drummer Hornbrook was the catalyst that Pull The Thorns From Your Heart needed to make it transpire.
The overall sound of Senses Fail’s instrumentals was not the only thing that changed with the new album. Upon the whole band improving their measure, so did Vocalist Nielsen. Throughout his entire career, Nielsen is known for his charmingly taut vocals; a unique sound that some would describe as whiny, but is known to Pop-Punk fans as the predominant acoustics that make Punk music, well, poppy. The once tight, high pitched screams that held little grit have now plunged into deeper depths. What submerges out of Pull The Thorns From Your Heart are lyrics that hold abyssal volume spewing with intensity. This intensity flows out to the audience in a spectrum of emotions. Simply, the emotions are of anger and sadness, but “simple” was not what Senses Fail beat the drum for. In the complex state of Pull The Thorns From Your Heart, fury and rage burns itself into the ears in “Dying Words” and “The Three Marks of Existence.” Ambivalence and dysphoria lurk their way into the hearts of their listeners in songs such as “Carry the Weight” and “We Are All Returning Home.”
Adding up the difference in age that Senses Fail has reached, the shift in members, and the maturation their music has evolved from, the entirety of Pull The Thorns From Your Heart is an achievement that the band has worked so hard to reach. A peak in the band’s success that was earnestly climbed for so long. Not only does this make Senses Fail’s new record shine with fortitude, but more importantly honesty as it is a true testament about Nielsen’s past. A collective of stories told in hindsight after being battled for so long. Pull The Thorns From Your Heart would be considered by Nielsen much like a release, and for many others who have struggled with the same issues, liberation. For that, CrypticRock gives this album 5 out of 5 stars.
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