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Review:
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The Reasoning are back with a new line-up, coming on
board are drummer Jake Bradford-Sharp, backing vocalist
Maria Owen, and keyboardist Tony Turrell. This album sees
a marked shift towards the gothic rock/metal of the title
track of their last album, ‘Dark Angel’; the ballads have
gone along with ex keys player/vocalist Gareth Jones. On
the track ‘14’, they sing “take me in a new direction”,
I couldn’t agree more. Although still described by the media
as prog, they are only prog in terms of musicianship and
song structure/length (averaging around the 7 minute mark).
Last time, metal guitarist Owain Roberts was the new boy,
now he’s combined with Dylan Thompson’s rock to far greater
effect. The result is their own unique sound, gothic rock/metal
done in a melodic rock style. The other major difference
is that the Rachel Cohen with her distinctive floating voice
is now very much the lead vocalist, unlike the last one
where duties were shared. It is mixed by Joe Gibb, who has
worked with the likes of Leftfield, Catatonia, and Massive
Attack, for a crisp clear contemporary sound. The songs
swirl from powerful riffage, to catchy/soaring melodic rock,
to periods of atmospheric calm, with seamless changes in
tempo and dynamics. They are full of glorious harmonies
and vocal interplay, ripping guitar solos, and all sorts
of superb instrumental segments. This is a band that should
be marketed far beyond their Welsh prog roots, to the European
gothic rock/metal scene and to American melodic/alt rock/metal
fans. Available from their website http://www.thereasoning.com/main.html
and other fine purveyors, this earns a highly deserved 9
out of 10.
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