Album Reviews

- by Nate Hennon

After a nearly fatal bus accident, Frank Iero's third solo endeavor,  "Barriers," may be the most open-hearted music he has ever produced. By channeling his trauma into art, Frank created one of the best Emo Revival records I have heard in a few years. With obvious influences from the early New Jersey hardcore/Emo scene, "Barriers" sounds more like Weezer's "Pinkerton" than a My Chemical Romance B-side record. Now that is not to say his work in MCR is not recognizable, for his ability to create a dissonant yet melodic guitar riff is prevalent on "Barriers," but the song styling and vibes on this record reflect more of that band's beginnings rather than their end. 

Also, I think it should be noted that Frank Iero's solo career is very oddball and more than a passion project. From what I can surmise, he only does a new album when he feels it is right and if he has the right mix of people to produce his vision. Naturally, Frank isn't the first solo artists to do this, but Frank adds an extra layer to this approach. Instead of packaging his backing band as rotating set of touring musicians, Frank gives the group a new name for each album and follow-up set of shows. Besides this just being a cool idea, it makes each band and album unique and messes up how I organize my Music Library.