Album Review: Poison The Well - 'The Tropic Rot'

Let’s all take a moment and agree that although PTW previous album, Versions, was in it’s own right a driven, emotional, and raw offering that took the band from Miami to new places, it just didn’t seem to fill the expectations fans were left with after the likes of You Come Before You.

As a fan of their older work I was impressed to find The Tropic Rot takes PTW full circle back to their humble and inspired beginnings yet manages to combine elements of their more recent work. Die hard fans won’t be disappointed to find the album illuminates their emotional and edgy side first brought to you by The Opposite of December, yet is still accessible to new listeners.

At a lengthy 62 minutes, and 17 tracks, it’s hard to believe this album doesn’t get monotonous. It is progressive with stints of country music, pub metal, and dry-throat screams. A very clean-vocals album, there are too many stand out tracks that highlight the talent of PTW, but worth mentioning is opening track Exist Underground, a snippet of what to expect in the album, Are You Anywhere for its chaotic story-telling style, and Cinema for its sing-along value. I had a mixed feeling when listening to Without You and One Other-I am Nothing as it is somehow apart from the rest of the album with its soft and even doped-out feel, and the metal moments don’t seem to make much sense.

There are a lot of variables in this album and softer moments that blend seamlessly into full-blown metal core; it would be interesting to see it performed live and if PTW can pull it off to a decent sized crowd.

Overall a solid offering from PTW with plenty of melancholy moments typical of the band. They certainly haven’t pulled any punches in The Tropic Rot yet it displays their evolution and growth since their earlier releases. It’s definitely worth a look for fans and newbies alike.

   1. "Exist Underground" – 3:36
   2. "Sparks It Will Rain" – 4:07
   3. "Cinema" – 4:22
   4. "Pamplemousse" – 5:51
   5. "Who Doesn't Love a Good Dismemberment" – 4:05
   6. "Antarctica Inside Me" – 5:07
   7. "When You Lose I Lose As Well" – 3:30
   8. "Celebrate the Pyre" – 3:04
   9. "Are You Anywhere" – 5:25
  10. "Makeshift Clay You" – 2:40
  11. "Without You and One Other I Am Nothing" – 5:33