Rezn- " Cycles in the Infinite Dream"

 

They are dialing more into the progressive side of what they do here, with the guitars taking on more of a riffy feel. The vocals are coming forward in the mix and not just being atmospheric elements that coast in the dream-like haze as things get more defined n the opening track. With this comes some heavier chug that holds more weight than what we are used to hearing from these guys. The sax returns to drive the prog point home, even in the face of harder-rocking riffs surfacing. Even though they have gone further into prog, only the last song goes over the five-and-a-half-minute mark. 

"Cloudfall" kicks the door in to tell you they are not fucking around with any shoegazing and came to rock. The chords that ring out here remind me of solo Ozzy.. They lean back into something more akin to what they once did on "Aerial Birth," while it's consistent with what they used to do, it dials the dynamics down to a much lower-energy place than where they have taken you for the bulk of the album so far. After a brief instrumental interlude, they come back heavier for " The Vessel. "The main verse riff is pretty hooky and reminds me a little of Matodon. The strummed guitar feels more Smashing Pumpkins in this contet.

Some of the album's most interesting guitar work goes down on "Escher". Here, they prove that bringing the vocals to the forefront can be an asset for them. "Primal Thread' falls along the line of your average atmospheric rock in 2026. The last song drifts more toward their more familiar shoegazing sound; it does not grip me like some of the other songs do. As a whole, I would say while this album rocks harder, it is not as dark and holds less drugged-out melancholy than their previous work , but the songwriting has been sharpened to a more accessible point, which often works in their favor. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me.Out on Sargent House. 

3

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