Pierce the Veil - Collide with the Sky [Aqua]

Collide with the Sky is the album that moved Pierce the Veil from the Warped Tour circuit into arenas. Released in 2012, the San Diego band's third record sharpened everything about them: Vic Fuentes' vocal leaps got higher, the Latin-inflected guitar figures got more prominent, and the songwriting finally matched the ambition of the arrangements.

"King For A Day" is the reason most people know the record. Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens takes the second verse, the breakdown arrives exactly when you want it to, and the song has outlived the entire scene that produced it. "Hell Above" opens the album with the band's best riff. "Bulls In The Bronx" and "A Match Into Water" are the emotional centre, and "Hold On Till May" closes things on acoustic guitar and a guest vocal that lands harder than it has any right to.

The record is loud and busy in a way that was very much of its moment, but the melodies underneath are built to last, and a generation of listeners has kept it in rotation long past the point where post-hardcore was fashionable.

This indie exclusive repress comes on aqua vinyl, manufactured by Pirates Press and pressed at GZ Media for Fearless Records. Made in the Czech Republic.