This album can be bought and streamed on all major music platforms. courtesy @frankieromustdie Instagram

“Heaven is a Place, This is a Place” recently released

Frank Iero and the Future Violents recently released their newest EP, “Heaven is a Place, This is a Place.” Frank Iero and the Future Violents is a band made up of Frank Iero, Evan Nestor, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Matt Armstrong and Tucker Rule. “Heaven is a Place, This is a Place” has a tracklist of four songs.

In an interview with Alternative Press, Frank Iero stated that this EP contains the final songs recorded by the Future Violents. With My Chemical Romance’s impending tour, COVID-19 allowing, this EP marks the end of an era for Iero as he has continuously released music throughout My Chemical Romance’s hiatus. Regardless, “Heaven is a Place, This is a Place” marks the final release from Frank Iero and the Future Violents.

“Heaven is a Place, This is a Place” is considered the counterpart of the band’s previous record, “Barriers.” The songs featured in this EP are songs that did not fit in “Barriers’” 14 song tracklist. The tracklisting for the new EP includes three new songs and a cover of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.”

The album opens with “Violence,” which sets a fantastically punk tone for the rest of the EP. With its almost hypnotic guitar riffs, “Violence” tells a story about unrequited love in its four minutes. However, it’s not a “I can’t live without you” type of unrequited love, rather a “you’re going to miss me when I’m gone” type. Dripping with emotion, “Violence” is the perfect opener for this EP: it’s intense, tortured, energetic and explosive.

“Sewerwolf” follows as the second track of the EP. It also marks my favorite song from the record. “Sewerwolf” has a different energy from “Violence” in the sense that the melody of the song is abnormal in the best way possible. Forceful, yet still emotionally charged, “Sewerwolf” prevails as one of the strongest songs from the EP. Iero’s ravenly aggressive vocals perfectly capture the grungy tone of the song. Perhaps some of the best lyrics of the EP are found within this song; in one of the verses, Iero brazenly sings “How could you think I would ever deceive you? I live by the sword, and I’ll die by my word.” Iero’s skills as a lyricist shine in “Sewerwolf” as he vividly depicts the beauty that can be present in the chaos of destruction.

“Losing My Religion” marks a stark contrast from the preceding songs. Fans of R.E.M. can surely agree that this cover does justice to the original. The Violents’ cover offers a stripped performance of the well-loved original version. The vocals on “Losing My Religion” are beautifully melodic. Evan Nestor and Kayleigh Goldsworthy provide backing vocals that add a further layer of beauty to the song, especially the vocals of Goldsworthy, whose voice almost has an ethereal quality. Choosing to include much more sparse instrumentation than the original, The Violents breathe a new life into this classic song. “Losing My Religion” makes for a moving yet powerful third song for “Heaven is a Place, This is a Place.”

“Record Ender” follows as the closer to the EP. The song starts off tenderly but soon explodes in a crescendo worthy of Beethoven. Iero shines as a hopeless romantic throughout the beautiful, yet poignant, lyrics of this song. Devotion is the perfect word to describe the love depicted in “Record Ender.” Above all, hope surges through as the strongest entity present in the song. Hope and love guide this tragically beautiful, bittersweet ending to The Violents’ discography.

“Heaven is a Place, This is a Place” shows just how far Iero has come as a solo musician. It’s been the greatest joy and honor to witness this becoming for the past six, nearly seven, years. “Heaven is a Place, This is a Place” is out now on all major music platforms.

Post Author: Madison Walters