Back in 2015, Biffy Clyro released Ellipsis, an album utterly forgettable at times and easily their worst release in a decade. Whilst commendable for experimenting with their sound of time signature changes, obtuse lyrics and complex chords, Ellipsis incorporated a more mainstream sound which, nonsurprisingly made the album far too generic.
A rest period and promises of a Simon Neil solo album filled the void, the band worked away at a film soundtrack, given a lowkey release with little fanfare excluding a few songs making appearances on tour.
Despite my apprehension, perhaps naively believing the soundtrack to be mostly instrumental, Balance, Not Symmetry is a thankful return to form to band, not entirely without issues, but far more enjoyable than Ellipsis.
The opening title track is a wonderful throwback and reminder of the classic Biffy sound, where Neil shouts out the title mixed between crunch guitars and thumping percussion. Book ending the album however is Adored, as someone who doesn’t particularly like Machines or People, which served as somewhat softer closing tracks, the simple piano arrangement is lovely and one of the best closing tracks the band has released thus far.
The album itself consists of mostly a back-to-formula approach, recapturing the now older sounds of Only Revolutions and Opposites, humorously Different Kind of Love sounds similar too but writing credits reveal the bands lack of involvement.
The soundtrack’s structure tends to several normal songs with small instrumental pieces breaking up the flow, although the release is long, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and even collectively, it works much better than Ellipsis.
Despite my reservation, Balance, Not Symmetry is a welcome return of quality from the Scotish trio. Although history may end up causing it to be an oversight in the band’s expanding discography, Balance, Not Symmetry is an enjoyable listen, one that has rekindled my interest in future releases from the band.
7/10
H
@Retcon_Nation
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