Emmure’s Frankie Palmeri Is Excited About ‘Felony’

'Felony,' the forthcoming album by the metal outfit Emmure, isn't a concept album, per-se. But it does tell a story, singer Frankie Palmeri explains.

"The title is loosely based on the lyrical content," Palmeri tells Noisecreep. "A lot of the stories have to do with violence and sex and all those things that can be treated as crimes. I try to stick to a theme when we're doing an album. It's the same thing as when a writer names a book. It's the punch line for the entire thing. It's not a concept album, unless I were to consider my life a concept album."

Palmeri says he only really writes about his thoughts, as well as things he has seen or felt.

"It's weird," Palmeri says. "It's a mix of part reality, part fiction. But the fiction in itself is reality. It's something that is real to me. I don't know. It's hard to explain. My lyrics are schizophrenic. I could be singing about how I take the role of the character in my head. But it's actually how I'm looking at the entire segment of my life from an overhead view. Sometimes it's an overhead view and sometimes it's first person. Sometimes I'm telling you what I'm feeling in that moment.

"It's not something I expect people to understand. But it's honest enough that you'll be able to at least feel the words come across first, before I even know what I'm saying. I'm really excited about it. It's our defining record as a band. I think it's going to really set us apart from everything that's going on right now. That's what we needed to do and I couldn't be happier about it."

The album, which hits stores Aug. 18, was largely ignored during the band's jaunt on this year's Warped Tour. But Emmure do plan to play three or four songs from 'Felony' on The Thrash and Burn Tour, which kicked off July 24. Palmeri is excited for fans to hear the release.

"I think that we really found our niche, as far as songwriting and what we really enjoy playing," he admits. "It's really exciting for everyone. Everyone's going to be in for a surprise.

"We decided it was healthier for us play songs people were familiar with on Warped Tour, rather than kind of like side track everyone and play something they've never heard before. Now that there's music on the Internet, we're going to start playing our newer material on our tours."