THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO…PURE REASON REVOLUTION – Terrifying Angels (InsideOut Music)THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO…PURE REASON REVOLUTION – Terrifying Angels (InsideOut Music)

“The last album was more chill,” explained Jon Courtney in a recent press release, “so it just felt terribly natural to do something gritter, heavier and more aggressive.” And it’s certainly paid off. Where there are – obviously – some quieter moments on ‘Terrifying Angels’ – Pure Reason Revolution’s seventh album and their fourth since their 2019 reboot – it is an incredibly exciting outing, whipping up and firing out in 50 minutes seven cuts, three of which twist and turn like the corridors in a haunted house. It’s an easy album to hear but needs your full attention if you really want to listen to it. Very little on offer is quite what it seems, and there’s a great deal to appreciate and commend. When it’s not going for the throat, for example, the album has some utterly dreamlike Floydian qualities, in particular in the title track itself, although this soon gives way to an air of utter menace before taking flight in a different direction. And it works so magnificently. On the other side of the coin ‘Haywire Heart’ keeps largely on its (albeit off-beat and rather grunge-tinged) path and delivers what’s perhaps a surprising short, sharp shock.

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The trio of Courtney, Annicke Shireen and Ravi Kesavaram carry the heavy load of the musicianship, with a number of guests including bassists Mariusz Duda and Kristoffer Gildenlöw popping up here and there. And if you enjoy trivia as much as I you can revel in the fact that at 2 minutes 42 seconds and 14 minutes 46 seconds respectively ‘Haywire Heart’ and ‘Hold Your Wrath’ are the shortest and longest songs in the band’s ever-growing catalogue. Pure Reason Revolution have a handful of dates lined up in the first few days of November, and it would be well braving the winter chill to catch them onstage.

Video clips:
‘Spin Like Fire’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx_XAc8uk0U
‘Black Arrow Acrobats’ (featuring Mariusz Duda) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9HlwfDyKNY&list=RDK9HlwfDyKNY&start_radio=1

John Tucker October 2026