Poison The Well

Originally released on Belgium's Goodlife Recordings, Distance Makes... has been overhauled in its entirety and reissued by Undecided Records. Improving on the EP's tangible faults, it has been remixed, remastered and now contains striking artwork compatible with their The Opposite of December, A Season of Separation full-length (on Trustkill), courtesy of design terrorist J. Bannon. While often overlooked with the astonishing success of The Opposite of December..., and featuring the oft-disastrous dual-vocal attack, Distance... may actually be the stronger release. Eschewing, or at least limiting the banal mosh-metal breakdowns that seemed a little too simplistic for the emotional melancholy PTW laced throughout The Opposite of December..., Distance... is a complex offering of metallic noisecore that's thick with emotion and energy and includes a rawer production, furthering distancing itself from the clinical sound of their full-length. "Grain of Salt (What's The Use of Having a Heart)" is pure musical frustration, lashing out and grasping for hope at the same time, served perfectly by its contrasting screams, spoken words, singing, and abrasive, melodic riffing, while "Material Christ" is an unrelenting condemnation, riding accusations, breakdowns and thrash tempos to its culmination. Included with this five-song EP are two live offering, "A Wish For Wings That Work" and "Artist's Rendering of Me," both taken from December. While sonically inferior to the beefed-up sound of Distance, hamstrung by a muddied sound, vocals that are too high and guitars that are too low - the traditional live imperfections - they are performed adequately, if not admirably, and should serve as an added incentive, even while none is needed, as these five-songs easily stand against anything on PTW's full-length.