Review Summary: Pyramids out do themselves with their second release, an interesting expansion on their previous sound that is nor trite or boring.
‘Through the Hourglass’ is the Philadelphia based Pyramids second record. Where their first was marked by the appearance to subscribe to a microcosm of the hardcore scene evoking the feel of bands like City of Caterpillar, ‘Through the Hourglass’ is a marked improvement. Shifting between an intensely melodic, yet dense sound that at first seems to be extremely downtrodden, Pyramids have clearly found a small sect of sound in ‘emo’ that hasn’t been fully explored yet. Bassist Benn Roe and drummer Sean Connolly are the two people responsible for the lasting effect of this record. Where Pyramids previous record ‘Following the Tracks, Forcing Motion Through Phases’ withered in its length through rather trite post-rock influenced sections, ‘Through the Hourglass’ seems to take a page from bands that rely on their bass section to have a strong fell of power while at the same time melodically anchoring the song, thus creating a lasting diverse record. Guitarist Dave Finzimer above this largely dissonant rhythm section crafts beautifully melancholy soundscapes, which largely can be seen in the most similar track to their older selves, ‘Two Eternities’.
Praise should also be thrown towards the three boys of Pyramids for their excellent use of production on this record. I believe Steve Roche of Off Minor fame recording the album for them, so maybe his expertise are what help the album show off all of it’s subtle changes while still maintaining a very under produced sound. Also, the pacing of the album is vastly superior to their previous release. Short tracks that act like semi-interludes like the 56 second crescendo of ‘The Crow’ and the piano based ‘The Phoenix’ are excellently executed, tempered ideas on the expansion of their sound. Pyramids instead of only dealing with crescendo based tracks throw in a few simply aggressive numbers like ‘Entropic’ and ‘Statis’, this in turn creates a more lasting appeal on the tracks that do decide to dwell in five minute plus durations.
While I can’t necessarily say there are no faults in Pyramids new record, it certainly is an excellent example of what a conglomeration of various influences in a subculture can create. This isn’t the most entertaining ‘emo’ record ever release, I don’t even know if it will be the best released this year (I kind of doubt that with the new Off Minor coming out.). But, this is passionate music that deserves a level of respect and dishes out a level of enjoyment that I haven’t felt since I first put on ‘Jokes’ last year.
