2024-10-01 07:00:05
(c) Tom Ham
No unnecessary detours, no frills, just straight to the point – there is such a band sugar horse However, such mission statements should be viewed with caution. The follow-up to “The Live Long After” should definitely be more pointed and direct, without the extra feature-length foreshadowing. Is this possible for a deliberately complex and unorthodox quartet from Bristol? actually tried “In the grand scheme of things” In fact, to avoid unnecessary detours – but of course this doesn’t always happen.
Songs like “The Shape Of ASMR To Come” – which also has a great title on this record – try to keep up with the new reality and use beautiful melodies that quickly flow into the verses. Prog and Gaze have created a grand anthem, but the interludes in between are not to be missed. Sugar Horse keeps breaking the tension again and again until a new attempt is made. “Corpsing” also takes a long time to emerge from the undergrowth, but the usual ugliness returns here, with these post-metal destructive arias ruining the proceedings with sludge undertones.
If that was too good, “The New Dead Elvis” turned the game around with almost constant growth as the horizon darkened and the second half was fractured and aggressive. On “Mulletproof,” things get even dirtier, again after a long buildup, but with a level of viciousness and brutality rarely seen on this album. The wrecking ball spins in slow motion, taking everything with it, yet swings out with randomness. Sugar Horse only did it once, but with all his might. “Space Tourists” is nearly 25 minutes long, the last 20 minutes of which is a near-constant cycle of sci-fi noise. The accumulated energy has to be released somewhere.
Sugar Horse brings a lot of that. No, of course the British haven’t become radio-friendly yet, although the presentation is at least more compact. “The Big Plan” wasn’t recorded directly either, but overall it’s more of a song, but without losing the advantage of familiarity. In contrast, prog hymns in particular appear heavier and catchier, which in turn lends itself to raw to rough tones. On their second album, Sugar Horse made important, meaningful and targeted changes without completely going off the rails – a very successful long player.
Rating: 8/10
Release date: October 4, 2024
Available via: Pelagic Records
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sugarhorseruinedmybirthday
category: Magazines, reviews
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