Reviews: Pure Reason Revolution, 40 Watt Sun, God Dethroned, Solars (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Pure Reason Revolution - Coming Up To Consciousness (Inside Out Music) 

Since their reactivation in 2020, Pure Reason Revolution have been pursuing quite a singular sound, it's hard to mentioned the band without mentioning one Mr Steven Wilson as they amalgamation of traditional progressive rock, although, indie and electronic is obvious, as are the similarities in the vocals. Many would say if you're going to copy anyone copy from the best but PRR aren't copyists, formed in 2003, they have been trying to transcend what 'prog rock' is since their beginnings inspired just as much by Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree as they are Chemical Brothers or Kraftwerk. 

On this sixth studio album , their third since coming back from hiatus Jon Courtney and Greg Jong talked about bringing in influences such as Talk Talk (another SW favourite) The Smile/Radiohead and ever Arctic Monkeys, bolstering those alt/indie rock credentials I mentioned earlier. Of course there's still plenty of Pink Floyd witnessed by guest bass from Guy Pratt, Porcupine Tree, accentuated by the Rhodes/Piano of Soulsplitter's Lewin Krumpschmid and Pineapple Thief; Bruce Soord and Jon Sykes adding some guitars and bass respectively. So with all this it's almost guaranteed that I like it but I really do think that since 2020's Eupnea they've been at a creative peak.

On this album really doubling down on the bass with the input of Guy Pratt who plays on 7 of the 8 tracks and is joined by Ravi Kesavaram of My Vitriol in the rhythm section as he comes in behind the kit. Another new name in the band for this record alongside Ravi is vocalist Annicke Shireen of Heilung. She has sung with them on their live shows with the blessing of long term singer Chloe Alper who couldn't commit to them due to her schedule. Shireen looks to be a part of the band going forward so it makes sense her voice is used here. Whether it's in harmonic union on the throbbing electronic rocker Dig Till You Die or duetting on Worship she's a very welcome addition to the band, showcasing her brilliant vocals across Coming Up To Consciousness. 

Their sixth album has Pure Reason Revolution still at a creative apex, thrilling progressive music for fans of experimental but straightforward soundscapes. 9/10  

40 Watt Sun - Little Weight (Fisher’s Folly)

The the last 40 Watt Sun album Perfect Light was released in 2022, and I've only just stopped crying. Perfect Light was a much more collaborative and longer recording process so on Little Weight he tried to take things back to the beginning recording under time constraints and in isolation down in Cornwall. What has resulted from these sessions is another six songs of introspective, cathartic, emotive alt rock born out of the doom beginnings of Patrick Walker's time in the legendary Warning, but that has been evolved into post metal and something designated slowcore. 

Walker's vocals are stunning, melancholic and soulful, he delivers every line of a track such as Closer To Life with conviction. His open guitar chords, shimmering melodies and atmospheric wanderings remind me of the band Madrugada or Mark Lanegan solo work, of course the neo-prog influence of Marillion (who's song Emerald Lies; Walker took the name from). It can be both dreamy and dirgey at any given moment lush, soundscapes languish in instrumental wonder as Walker drives into grooves alongside drummer/collaborator Andrew Prestige and bassist Roland Schriver. Inspired by things lost over time Little Weight is another tearjerker from 40 Watt Sun, Walker's voice and the music behind it never fails to move me. 9/10

God Dethroned - The Judas Paradox (Reigning Phoenix Music)

Delivering heavy since 1990, Henri Sattler has led extreme metal heretics God Dethroned through turmoil. Unhappy with labels and band members, they spilt in 1993, then in 2012, but since 2014, God Dethroned has been Sattler and a revolving door of musicians from that point and The Judas Paradox is their 12th album. It's their first for Reigning Phoenix Music but like the previous 11 albums lyrically it's inspired by mythology, the pre-Christian era, Judas, secrets of the Vatican, tarot and demons, so all the greatest hits of the extreme metal then. 

Straddling black/death/doom and everything in between. The title track for instance is gothic, cult doom, The Hanged Man technical death metal while Rat Kingdom is black metal ferocity. Just these three tracks alone showcase the talent and experience of God Dethroned, Henri Sattler's down picked rhythm riffs, chain gun percussion of Frank Schilperoort and driving bass of Jeroen Pomper, lock down the brutality of Asmodeus, as Kashmir Princess goes a bit prog, taking in some synth as Dave Meester shows off that he's not just a shred machine, though the Slayer-like Hailing Death or War Machine may argue otherwise. 

The Judas Paradox continues God Dethroned's 30+ year reign as a revered, ravenous extreme metal band, that is touches every aspect of black/death/thrash music. There may be turbulent past but seemingly a bright future. 8/10

Solars – A Fading Future (Ripcord Records)

Solars debut album begins with snippets from David Attenborough’s speech at the “WWF: A Message To World Leaders at the UN Climate Change Summit”. He talks about the end of the Holoscene (the track name) and how life on this planet is rapidly changing beyond anything we have experienced before. Predicting doom and destruction if action is not taken. This seems to be the overarching theme to A Fading Future, the first full length release from Birmingham instrumentalists Solars, each track deals with another part of daily life that has become damaging and of which the band are critical, but ultimately hopeful about changing.

Be it screen addiction on their chunky, grooving track Doomscrolling, which climaxes in full frontal thrash or the divisions between people on the riffy A Hill To Die On which chugs into psych rock distortion and post metal heaviness. All these issues are delivered by skilful instrumental post rock, where the dreamscapes and electronic ambiance of Ablation are put alongside grooving energy of Inertia, jazzy rhythms, exploring percussive patterns and syncopation, the quartet flex musical muscles easily.

A Fading Future provides a soundtrack to a dystopian but all too real vision for the future, though it's littered with hope that things can change. An absorbing instrumental records. 8/10