How times change. Where, once, Sons of Alpha Centauri revelled in instrumental pieces, titled simply by number; today they have morphed into a tightly honed act who, while retaining the ambience inherent to post-rock, frequently veer closer to the dark stylings of post-White Pony-era Deftones, throwing in elements of progressive rock and full-blown metal to keep things interesting. The results are frequently astounding and, where Push saw guest vocalist Jonah Matranga (Far), help the band dip their toes in these unfamiliar waters, Pull sees a full-blown immersion, and with deeply impressive results.
The album opens with the surging Ephemeral, which sees Jonah pull off semi-spoken word and melodic passages with aplomb. The band, meanwhile, deftly intwine post-metal and prog, resulting in a piece of music that sounds like Deftones jamming on Sound of Contact. It’s a beguiling opening number, and it paves the way for the crunchy Ease. A darker, heavier track, it benefits immensely from Jonah’s understated yet engaging presence, while the band nod to the sonic path of the most underrated Headswim. Keeping things dynamic, the band hit hard with the title track, which has a Mina Caputo edge to it (think Life of Agony circa Weeds). A cracking song, there was a time where something like this would have blazed a trail on radio and, with a suitably energetic clip, MTV; and while the world may have moved on, fans of engaging, yet atmospheric rock will lose themselves here.
Led by the drums, The Ways We Were maintains the album’s taut pace, with SOAC once again combining metallic elements and potent melodies that seep beneath the skin. Jonah, who seems to just intuitively grasp the importance of the band’s writhing, airy riffs, weaves his voice between the lines, augmenting rather than overpowering the song, and it builds to a crisp conclusion that gets the pulse racing. The first half wraps up with the rather beautiful Tetnus Blades, a slower-paced piece that harks back to the likes of the long-forgotten (and much missed) Seafood. With Jonah sounding surprisingly vulnerable, and the band adding strings, a sting in the tail is somewhat unexpected, but just as the band have lulled you into your safe zone, they unleash one hell of a dark riff.
Opening the second half, Doomed is a brilliant piece of dark pop in the vein of early Radiohead, with elements of Placebo and Smashing Pumpkins thrown in for good measure. Quite honestly, I haven’t heard a piece of music quite like this since the mid-90s, and it’s wonderful to hear SOAC so successfully drawing on their influences, while placing their own stamp on things, and it’s another piece that, frankly, should be catapulting them into the limelight. In contrast, the churning Weakening Pulse serves up elements of Neurosis’ dark soundscapes, albeit with a more melodic edge courtesy of Jonah’s soaring vocals, while the band just keep building towards the final grinding riff. The tighter groove of Final Voyage once again sees the SOAC nod in the direction of bands like Seafood, alongside quieter moments of At The Drive In, while the chorus is custom designed to live in your head rent-free for weeks. Finally, and far too soon, Pull closes with the crystalline riff of Unspeakable Majesty, which closes things with awkwardly timed riffs, deft shifts in tempo, and one last brilliantly addictive chorus.
Sons of Alpha Centauri have evolved beautifully since their inception and yet, despite having followed them, little prepared me for just how addictive this damn album is! Drawing upon their experience as an instrumental band, and blessed with a vocalist who understands their legacy and their current intent, the band have truly surpassed themselves with Pull and the album comes highly recommended. 9/10
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