Pure Reason Revolution
Above Cirrus

Galvanized by the much-welcomed return two years ago, Pure Reason Revolution presents themselves once again with great enthusiasm and inspiration. “Above Cirrus” showcases a band once again in great form, demonstrating that their choice to come back after a long silence was more than ever the right one.

The characteristics do not change much compared to the previous “Eupnea”, and they are roughly those that distinguish their trademark. The guitars once again sound dirty and abrasive but with that indie aftertaste, the bass is also metallic and rusty, the synthesizers alternate between delicate and vaguely psychedelic sounds, strong loops and shrill sounds, and once again they do without those true keyboard carpets typical of the prog genre. In short, Pure Reason Revolution continues to represent the rougher and more alternative side of prog, almost in contrast to the more refined and elegant approach of the genre's more classical nature. Still, there are some differentiating elements from the previous album. For example, what is noticeable is a harder and darker sound, with guitar and bass pushing and scratching a bit more than usual, with a more cavernous touch than usual; in some moments, they even venture into Tool territories, the opening track “Our Prism” in particular seems a fairly blatant tribute to Keenan and his bandmates, at first listen it reminded me of “The Grudge”, but our guys stop a few centimeters before, they do not intend to play metal and they don’t. Another peculiarity that caught my ear is the inexplicable absence of those orchestral bursts that occasionally appeared in the compositions; the real reason for their absence is unclear, but it could be attributed to the sharper sound and the difficulty in finding them a place.

In any case, I believe a step forward has been made here. The album appears slightly more varied and inspired than the previous one. Among the 7 tracks that comprise it, it is possible to find some differentiating elements between one track and another, each track seems to have more of its own identity and not be exactly a copy of any of the others. “Eupnea” had a slight flaw: there was a certain disparity between the longer and shorter tracks, with the former being well-developed and rich and the latter being a bit simplistic and ordinary. Here, even the shorter tracks appear well-focused and developed, despite their essentiality, and it’s not necessary to search in the longer tracks what is not found in the shorter ones. Take, for example, the two most concise tracks, those that don’t even reach 4 minutes: “Our Prism”, as already mentioned, mimics Tool but does so with all its might, the metallic bass and the alternative metal-like beats as well as the dark drumming manifest themselves in their fullness; the same happens in “Phantoms”, which strongly recalls the sounds of their second and third albums, where they focus on electronics, industrial, even venturing into the flashy territories of techno and dance, but they do it to the utmost, adding everything needed. A similar discussion can be had with “Cruel Deliverance”, its strongly catchy chorus that immediately imprints can be misleading, making it seem like a banal track, but its grey and subdued melody, its guitar with that particular wah-wah effect, its slow and afflicted bass, and that deliberately faint and silent church organ interlude tell a whole other story.

It is clear, however, that the greatest concentration of ideas lies in the longer tracks, “New Kind of Evil” and “Scream Sideways” are a perfect compendium of everything Pure Reason Revolution can offer. The first is slow and expansive, resembling a reflective post-rock track that shifts from a lulling and perpetual moment to a burst of rock and electronics, while the second is the most lively track and in a certain sense the most prog, ranging from hypnotic, repetitive electronics to parts again in Tool style, from almost fusion-style phrases to piano parts and back to rock surges.

Regarding the remaining two tracks, “Dead Butterfly” delves well into both the delicate piano parts and the electronic ones, “Lucid” is the one that has the gift of synthesis, managing to concentrate a bit of everything without dragging on too much, something that can often be more challenging than spreading over many minutes.

Perhaps their best album? Hard to say, but the band seems to have returned to the scene with inspiration at its peak, as if they truly chose the best moment to do so, they even seem more convinced now than they were in 2006.