Review: Artifex Pereo – Passengers

Artist: Artifex Pereo
Album: Passengers
Rating: 9/10

Somewhere in the heart of Louisville, KY lies a band that sounds like a beautiful mixture of Coheed & Cambria, new-school Chiodos and Deftones. Technical progression meets melody and theatricality like never before. That band, comprised of 6 very-talented individuals, goes by the name of Artifex Pereo. They began their climb to the top of the experimental rock scene with their phenomenal debut album, Time and Place, released in 2014, showing us just why Tooth & Nail decided to take their chances with them. 2 years later, after going through many hardships, including having their equipment stolen… they’re back with their sophomore effort, Passengers.

Passengers continues this band’s already-impressive career by providing just enough angst, melody and aggression to keep you on your toes.  Vocalist Lucas Worley’s ability to provide soothing, high-pitched and borderline R&B style passages will pull you in from the start. While there are some aggressive parts to the album (and even some screaming, at times) it’s rooted in melody and is designed to be relaxing to the listener. In fact, the title Passengers in itself seems to allude to the finality of life, and how we are just passing through this world, on our way to a better existence. Musically, the band has a lot of technicality to them, reminiscent of bands like Stolas, Periphery and Dance Gavin Dance without the chaos that ensues in most of their music. It’s hard to single any tracks out on this album, because they all have something different to offer but have the same, overall, effect on the listener. This is an album that is clearly designed to be listened to as you close your eyes, to help you forget about the world around you. The vocals really keep you honed into the listen, throughout the album.

If you’re looking for something great to relax to, and just forget about the troubles of life, you’ll definitely want to pick up Passengers. The album was released yesterday via Tooth & Nail Records and you can pick it up below. If you need some convincing before doing so, though, check out “Paper Ruled All” and “As History Would Have It” below!

“Paper Ruled All” (Visual Lyric Video)

“As History Would Have It” (Visual Lyric Video)

Buy Passengers
MerchNow | iTunes

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