EP REVIEW: Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place – Frank Iero And The Future Violence

Frank Iero has easily been the most prolific member of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE in the years since the band’s initial 2013 break-up. As a solo artist, he’s released three studio albums and an EP, each under a different band name. He also makes up one half of digital hardcore duo DEATH SPELLS, along with former MCR keyboardist James Dewees. Now, with a reformed MCR’s touring plans firmly in the backseat thanks to COVID-19, Iero’s back with another solo EP. This time around, he and his cast of collaborators are operating under the name FRANK IERO AND THE FUTURE VIOLENCE.

The EP, entitled Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place, serves as a companion piece to Iero’s 2019 full-length Barriers. Much like that record, this one is difficult to pigeonhole into any one genre. There are touches of raucous punk and post-hardcore akin to the likes of ‘68 or LETLIVE. There’s also some serious melody which brings to mind classic 90s emo and alternative rock. And, of course, there’s a heavy dose of the theatricalism one would expect from any member of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE. Even all that doesn’t completely cover it. Either way, it’s a mix that makes for an exciting, interesting, and deeply enjoyable 18 minutes.

Heaven Is A Place… gets going in pretty energetic fashion, kicking off with a big swaggering riff on opening track Violence. Things soon drop to a more mellow verse, with tortured vocals from Iero and delicate pianos which tinker away in the background. The energy ramps up again for the chorus, and from here the band flit between moments of relative quiet and explosive savagery with ease. It makes for a solid opener – an intense, dramatic piece which insists on its listeners’ attention at every turn.

The next song, Sewer Wolf, continues in much the same vein. It’s another dynamic, ferocious track, and a firm contender for the best on the EP. This one features swirling synths, stompy riffs, and a particularly unhinged vocal performance from Frank Iero. For the chorus, he spits a defiant mantra of “I come alive forged in fire. My love will break these chains built from pain, they can’t hold me down.” The track is just shy of four minutes long, but Iero and co. manage to take it to so many places that it definitely feels longer – in a good way!

After an intense first half, Heaven Is A Place… takes a sharp left turn for its third track, a stripped back cover of REM‘s Losing My Religion. While they play things relatively straight in terms of structure, the band opt for more sparse instrumentation than the original. It also features a more melodic vocal turn from Frank Iero, backed by some lovely vocal harmonies from his bandmates Kayleigh Goldsworthy and Evan Nestor. All told, it makes for a striking, poignant shift on the record, and a welcome inclusion.

Heaven Is A Place… closes with the aptly-named six and a half minute Record Ender. This one’s a massive, emotional tune, with a huge chorus and atmospheric guitars and pianos. The distant backing vocals in the second verse are particularly beautiful, as is the melodic break at around the four minute mark. It’s also definitely the track most likely to scratch the itch for those looking for a proper MCR style sing-along anthem, serving as a powerful and fitting conclusion to a record which never struggles to keep it’s listeners interested. 

All in all, FRANK IERO AND THE FUTUTRE VIOLENCE don’t really put a foot wrong on this EP. As much as fans are surely desperate to finally get the chance to see Iero back on the stage with MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, this is a really solid record which should do far more than just serve as a stop gap while we wait for COVID to get out of the way. Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place proves once again that Frank Iero is a deeply creative and capable songwriter who refuses to be constrained by genre boundaries. Let’s just hope that, as happy as many will be with the MCR reunion, we continue to get to hear Iero‘s wilder side with projects like this too.

Rating 8/10

Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place is set for release on January 15th via UNFD.

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