Firing on all barrels in an attempt to better 2012’s mini-album Left Fire, Arcane Roots have lived up to the expectations of fans and critics on this stunning collection of songs.
Starting out with a capricious and playful approach to modern progressive rock, they’ve matured by honing their harmonies and riffs and adding extra textural elements, much in the vein of The Pineapple Thief circa 2010.
The result bears their heritage of post-hardcore, but it’s more ambitious and expansive than before; like The Fall Of Troy’s singalong math-prog opus Doppelganger, though a post-rock filter. Energy Is Never Lost, Just Redirected is a case in point: bombastic guitar theatrics aplenty but also a deftly forged dynamic structure, with every guitar in the mix there for a specific reason, from tough riff to atmospheric accent. Sacred Shapes and Triptych will be familiar territory for those Fall Of Troy fans, while with its killer chorus album highlight Hell & High Water recalls Welsh proggers People In Planes.
Album closer You Keep Me Here is a taste of the band behind the influences; twitching with nervous anticipation, armed with deadly vocal hooks and guitar riffs, just waiting to be cut loose.
