Prior to this year's album, Emmure has put out six records between 2007 and 2014. These albums have collectively had four different guitarists, two bassists, and four drummers, with the only constant being vocalist Frankie Palmeri. So with an entirely new lineup consisting of current and former members of Glass Cloud and The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, how does Palmeri rate his career thus far? Not great.
Palmeri tells Wall Of Sound that he thinks about 30% of the Emmure catalogue is trash, citing the former lineups as part of the problem.
“I was actually able to see my vision completely come to life rather than having to sit there and compromise with people who are not as competent and don’t understand what it should sound like. Not to say Emmure didn’t have any good songs, but 70% of Emmure’s catalogue I think is good. I enjoy it. Then there’s 30% of it that I think is trash and that 30% is what I never wanted on the albums to begin with.”
He's also really, really not a fan of the band's 2012 album Slave To The Game.
“The songs suck. It’s just not good. None of the riffs are good. I just don’t like it. I feel bad ‘cause I let that record happen. We were at a very terrible place internally, like no one was talking at all.”
“The album was a commercial failure, and of course it was. I wasn’t surprised at all. It was the kind of thing where I shot myself in the foot to prove a point.”
It must always be so exciting to be a fan of a band, and then have them tell you that something you enjoy by them sucks.
Interestingly, our friend Brian Storm of Rock Feed contacted two founding members of Emmure, who obviously have since quit, brothers Ben (guitar) and Joe (drums) Lionetti, who performed on the band's first two albums, Goodbye to the Gallows (2007) and The Respect Issue (2008).
“I think at this point, like, everybody knows what the hell is going on. I mean I’m glad to be here and talk about it but at this point it’s like he’s just digging his own grave. Nobody takes him fuckin’ seriously.” Ben Lionetti said.
“I think it really hit me when we were writing Felony, it wasn’t even called Felony, like Frank hit his best friend in the head with a bottle. He went to jail for an hour and then called it Felony.” Ben continued.
“This is a guy who got caught drinking in my basement and said fuck you to my dad. So I mean like anyone he has been close to he has just kinda’ like pushed away. I feel for him because we would all love for this just to be, like, just to go away but who speaks like that?” Joe Lionetti says.
So I guess we'll see how Look At Yourself stacks up when it drops on March 3. Watch the full interview with Ben and Joe below.
