Pierce The Veil, “The Jaws Of Life.”

Seven years after Misadventures, SoCal post-hardcore standbys Pierce The Veil return with The Jaws of Life. Made in a house just outside of the French Quarter in New Orleans, the album collected the city’s sonic influences in a variety of elements from percussion to ambiance  to go with the band’s rock sound.

Some of that atmosphere is evident on opening track “Death of an Executioner,” with rhythmic percussion leading to an aggressive guitar riff. Frontman Vic Fuentes’ distinct upper register enters, powerful and at the front of there mix.

The band enlisted the help of Third Eye Blind drummer Brad Hargreaves for the album, as well as MuteMath frontman (and NOLA native) Paul Meany to produce. The combination of the two can be heard on the opener, with a combination of handclaps, unique rhythms and various interesting sounds. Hargreaves stepped in to replace drummer Mike Fuentes, who exited in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.

“Pass the Nirvana” fuses hip-hop energy with an unrelenting heaviness, even throwing in acoustic flourishes that make for a fun ride. Vic Fuentes pushes his vocal from an near-rap cadence to a guttural scream. The track is an interesting fusion of heaviness and rhythm that creates a push and pull.

Things slow down for atmospheric mid-tempo rocker “Even When I’m Not With You.” The love song fuses a heavy drum loop with a down-tuned guitar line. The sound of a bustling French Quarter is also heard, adding to the chaotic bridge of a crowd murmur.

“What is love besides two souls trying to heal each other?” Fuentes asks on the introspective song.

The mid-tempo energy continues on anthemic “Emergency Contact,” a riff-forward love song. The dark and moody “Flawless Execution” shifts the vibe, sounding somewhat like Twenty One Pilots on the verses, possibly a result of having Meany at the helm, who also produced TOP’s Trench. Even on the slower tracks, the rhythm carries the foundation. The song is collaborative effort with Fuentes’ longtime friend and co-writer Curtis Peoples and electronic duo MilkBlood, made at a house in rural Washington State that is owned by MxPx’s Mike Herrera.

“I live the vacant and the dark spaces in between the beats of your heart,” Fuentes sings on the emo-leaning title track.

The heavy stomp of “Damn the Man, Save the Empire” mixes in just the slightest hint of blues into Fuentes’ aggressive vocals. It digs deeper into the hard-to-soft dynamics of the album, incorporating some impressive drumming by Hargreaves.

A line from the movie “Dazed and Confused” opens the slow and introspective ballad “Resilience.” The track is, as the name suggests, about battling back from tough times. The instrumental “Irrational Fears” leads into the ethereal and melodic “Shared Trauma.” The latter takes on a very different personality from the rest of the album. It’s still heavy on rhythm, but it’s almost poppy, trading guitar riffs for synths and loops, another moment that leans toward the Twenty One Pilots reference point. It’s a welcomed curveball and one of the standout tracks on the album.

“So Far So Fake” reels things back in to a classic, fist-in-the air post-hardcore track. Mixing in distorted vocals, the song is urgent and driving, with a quick but compelling guitar solo. The album closes out with a melodic duet featuring vocalist Chloe Moriondo, fusing intricate harmonies with laidback percussion. It’s one more surprise on an album that’s full of them.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.