Pure Reason Revolution - 'Amor Vincit Omnia'

So I have two confessions. First, I think all good music has to be guitar dominant. Second, I don’t think girls are capable of making good music (there, I said it!). Pure Reason Revolution, however, makes me feel guilty about all my prejudices. This progressive rock band, formed at the University Of Westminster, England, produced a brilliant work of art when they released their debut album ‘The Dark Third’ in 2006, and with their new album ‘Amor Vincit Omnia’, they have proven their talents once again. Pure Reason Revolution is a pleasant blend of progressive rock music with a touch of electronic fun. Their debut was heavily influenced by legendry progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree. 

In contrast, their new album is mostly electronic, featuring very little guitar, but somehow still maintaining a progressive rock feel. The CD starts out with Les Malheurs, and if you have heard PRR’s first album, this song will come as a shock to you. Its simple electronic beats and the cute synchronized vocals from (Singer/guitarist) Jon Courtney and (singer/bassist) Chloe Alper, can be very catchy. The next two songs , Victorious Cupid and Keep me sane/insane are not my favorite tracks on the album, but still make for an enjoyable listen, especially the background melody on ‘Keep me sane insane’. The next song, Apogee/Requiem For the Lovers, is possibly my favorite song from the album. It does a remarkable job of fusing the guitars with the electronic background music featured throughout the album. The songs Dues ex machina, which follows Apogee, and "AVO", the last song on the album, both show that the band is not shy of showing off the new direction that they are taking their music. 

Of course, the album is not prefect. My biggest complaint is that on listening to the album from one end to another, it seems to lack energy from time to time. I would have liked it if there were more songs like Apogee, sort of progressive electronic songs. Also, the lyrics on this album are silly at best. Overall, I would give ‘Amor Vincit Omnia’ an 8/10. If you are a fan of progressive rock and are looking for newer bands that are keeping the almost dead genre of progressive rock alive, you might want to check Pure Reason Revolution out.