Pure Reason Revolution: The Dark Third (Inside Out Records) [Matt Bladen]
After releasing their first album in nearly 10 years it was only a matter of time before electronic prog rock twosome Pure Reason Revolution's sort after discography would start reappearing. Rather aptly Inside Out Music have re-issued their impressive debut album The Dark Third, now having bought this album when it first came out I will try very hard not to just rant about how I enjoyed it as it's been in the public domain for a long time and as such contains some of the PRR live favourites, what I'm going to do here is explain why it's worth seeking out again. The Dark Third is an album that basically saw PRR's sound fully formed, balancing that new wave of arty progressive rock spearheaded by Porcupine Tree et al with influences such as EDM and Trip Hop (parts of this record are almost Portishead-esque).
After releasing their first album in nearly 10 years it was only a matter of time before electronic prog rock twosome Pure Reason Revolution's sort after discography would start reappearing. Rather aptly Inside Out Music have re-issued their impressive debut album The Dark Third, now having bought this album when it first came out I will try very hard not to just rant about how I enjoyed it as it's been in the public domain for a long time and as such contains some of the PRR live favourites, what I'm going to do here is explain why it's worth seeking out again. The Dark Third is an album that basically saw PRR's sound fully formed, balancing that new wave of arty progressive rock spearheaded by Porcupine Tree et al with influences such as EDM and Trip Hop (parts of this record are almost Portishead-esque).
As with their latest release the driving force here Jon Courtney who plays guitar, bass, keys and gives programming too his lower soulful tones work brilliantly in conjunction with Chloe Alper's more ethereal voice and her intricate basswork. If you've heard Eupnea then you'll know how well they compliment each other but it's here that you can hear that initial collaboration that they were striving to repeat on Eupnea. Masterfully recorded and produced by Paul Northfield (Rush, Porcupine Tree), the record flows almost in a dreamlike narrative, linking to the concept of the title which alludes to, the third of a person's life spent asleep and dreaming. It's a stunningly accomplished debut record and while their sound shifted as on the next two this remains the foundation of the band. Just as a heads up that this is the reissue of the Inside Out re-release in 2007 which features the U.S tracklist, not the original U.K tracklist, but is does also include the second disc which is a 5-track EP based around Aurelia by Gérard de Nerval. Well worth picking up if you are new to PRR, discovered them on Eupnea or indeed are completist/haven't been able to get a copy of this. The entire Pure Reason Revolution experiment was birthed from this record so it stands as a slice of history, and a damn good album to boot. 9/10
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown: Pressure (Snakefarm Records) [Matt Bladen]
Pressure is the second album from Nashville rockers on Spinefarm's imprint dedicated to Southern/Blues/Rock. Coming less than a year after their previous release Truth & Lies, Pressure, like The Struts album above, is a lockdown record born out of frustration, focus and the inability to tour. Recorded as a trio Bryant handles guitar and bass, with Caleb Crosby (drums) and Graham Whitford (guitar) the other two members on this record. Pressure is not a victim of it's circumstances, in fact it's Tyler and co playing their most hard rocking, diverse album yet. There's slide playing blues on Hitchhiker, some muscular balladry on Holdin' My Breath which features Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke (a major influence on that can be heard here), while Like The Old Me is stripped back song with just Bryant with an acoustic doing the work it's Misery where we go right back to sonorous country
Pressure is the second album from Nashville rockers on Spinefarm's imprint dedicated to Southern/Blues/Rock. Coming less than a year after their previous release Truth & Lies, Pressure, like The Struts album above, is a lockdown record born out of frustration, focus and the inability to tour. Recorded as a trio Bryant handles guitar and bass, with Caleb Crosby (drums) and Graham Whitford (guitar) the other two members on this record. Pressure is not a victim of it's circumstances, in fact it's Tyler and co playing their most hard rocking, diverse album yet. There's slide playing blues on Hitchhiker, some muscular balladry on Holdin' My Breath which features Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke (a major influence on that can be heard here), while Like The Old Me is stripped back song with just Bryant with an acoustic doing the work it's Misery where we go right back to sonorous country
There's a real maturity to Pressure with Bryant and co stepping into the the shoes they've been threatening to fill and those shoes are those of the late, great Tom Petty. Tracks like Automatic and Wildside have that breezy Californian hard rock edginess but coming from the American blues and folk traditions, obviously Bryant has brought it into the 21st Century but much like Petty the songs here feel timeless as if they could have come at any time in the last 40 odd years. The most telling is Crazy Days which half inches the verse rhythms from Listen To Her Heart and also features Bryant's wife Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe on backing vocals. It's a record brimming with both hope and defiance moving Bryant into the next level of his evolution as an artist. Intelligent, honest, blue collar southern hard rock is what you get her and at this point for Bryant now it would be simpler just to rename the band The Heartbreakers and have done with it, he's got that same multi-genre, ultra modern sound wrapped up in bluesy Americana as Petty did and that is no bad thing at all. 8/10
Cranial Separation: Bound In Barbed Wire (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]
Those lovable death metal protagonists from South Wales finally release their debut album, Bound In Barbed Wire. 32 minutes of pummelling explosive death metal that has one intention. To level you and anything in its path. For those in the South Wales region, these guys are unlikely to be new to you, given their presence on the scene for several years and their success in the 2018 M2TM competition and subsequent chaotic appearance on the Jagermeister Stage at Bloodstock. Book ended by an ominous intro and outro (the latter ringing the Crowbar bell), four of the tracks here featured on the band’s 2017 EP Separated From The Cadaver, and they blend nicely with the brain mashing tracks included here. Sam Heffernan’s drumming is ferocious, his BPM count elevated to brutal levels at times. There are of course, huge swathes of disgusting downtuned riffing which link with Chris Machin’s gut bursting bass lines.
And of course, we have Ray Packer’s guttural offerings. Sonically deep enough to wake the dead, one wonders if Packer has taken ownership of Chris Barnes original vocal cords without the SFU frontman’s knowledge. Is anything a surprise? Probably not, with old chestnuts Fucked By A Jackhammer, Rancid Insertion and Eternal Decay warming the soul. There is, however, the arrival of Solitary Cannibal, a brooding opus at over five minutes long and which has a huge outro as it slows in pace but not in heaviness. Elsewhere, it’s explosive death metal which rips through you like a dose of dysentery. Maybe that’s what Cranial are the musical equivalent of? Whatever you think, this is a swarthy punch to the face from a fist wrapped in a stinking soiled cloth. Ideal for the virtual Christmas party soundtrack this year. Give your gift bound in barbed wire. You know your manager deserves it. 7/10
I’d been largely unaware of The Unguided. A melodic death metal band from Sweden, the band initially were all former members of Sonic Syndicate although the current line-up only retains Richard Sjunnesson (scream vocals) and Roger Sjunnesson (rhythm guitar, keyboards) from the original members. The band is completed by Jonathan Thorpenberg (clean vocals, lead guitar) and drummer Richard Schill. Father Shadow is their fifth album and as I’m unfamiliar with their work, I’m basing this review entirely on this one album. I’ve charted my unease with metalcore in many a review before. I rarely find it a genre that I enjoy, and The Unguided slip into that domain with a regularity that shifts them far away from the more traditional Gothenburg sound of thirty years ago. That’s not to say that The Unguided don’t embrace the melodeath sound because it is evident throughout the album. But and it is a big but, the blend across styles, and with the inclusion of some electronic elements make it a more challenging album to listen to.
Songs like Where Love Comes To Die highlight the conundrum. Whilst the band draw from the melodic style of Linkin Park, they retain an edge of In Flames thrown in for good measure. Sjunnesson’s screaming vocals jar with the cleaner delivery of Thorpenberg. The echoing effects stunted choppy style and swirling keyboards clash violently with crashing riffs and pounding drums to the extent where at times it sounds like several songs are playing at once. From there, the band segue into Crown PrinceSyndrome which is a much more face-melting track, and one that you can imagine halls of fans happily bouncing in time with. At times, the album soars majestically, such as during the classic old school style of Never Yield, with the snarling vocals and thick riffs which combine with some sweet melodic harmonies. It is fist pumping tracks like this that stand out on the album although The Unguided have a habit of swinging in the odd curve ball. Stand Alone Complex utilises some thoroughly harsh drumming to underpin a short sharp track that sees rich synths slot in alongside the more rampant parts. Eyes Wide Open’s Eric Engstrand guests on Gaia, adding a ferocious and feisty vocal.
The album concludes with three covers of Sonic Syndicate songs, Jailbreak, Denied and Jack Of Diamonds which means little to me, but all are punishingly decent tracks which sit comfortably with the more modern songs. The challenge with any album is the mark it leaves in the memory. The Unguided’s latest offering is full of earworms that explode on initial exposure, but which fade from the memory relatively quickly. Father Shadow will no doubt delight the fans of the band. The musicianship is excellent, the band are tight, and the production is crystal clear. But one of my benchmarks is whether I am clamouring for the back catalogue. I’m afraid I won’t be desperately searching out their early material with any urgency. 7/10