Detailed Reviews [Pvrs - 2024 - "Solstice"]

Prolusion. Belgian band PVRS is a duo consisting of Jean Pierre Mottin and Twan landrin. The twosome joined forces back in 2023, and a few months later the duo were ready with their debut album "Solstice". Initially released on cassette through Belgian label Deathfarm Records and made available as a digital release through Bandcamp and various streaming services.

Analysis. I suspect that this is one of those bands were some may question why they are covered by a website focusing on progressive music. While there is a bit of a progressive spirit and execution to the landscapes explored by this twosome, the primary and defining qualities of the band may be argued to lie elsewhere. For me, at least, I do find this to be an album that merits attention also by a progressive music interested audience, hence why I have chosen to cover them here. The foundation of this band resides somewhere inside of the doom metal universe. While the do expand out from that core foundation quite a bit, monumental riff and rhythm details are abundant here, with booming riffs, booming rhythms and rich, majestic surges of instruments being staples throughout. One might say that these compositions come with some Wagnerian qualities, often being dramatic as well as a bit theatrical. But in between the powerful doom metal and richly layered atmospheric metal landscapes we also get gentler interludes. Passages with a stronger emphasis on flow and motion, a more delicate interlude, passages with more of a minimalist arrangement in use and other alternatives to and variations of the more dramatic doom and atmospheric metal found elsewhere. The differences may be subtle, but they are still very much present. That we get some drone and noise reverbs coming into play here and there probably merits a mention here too, and that various keyboards and synthesizers have a role to play is another important detail I suspect. This is a band that create compositions with multiple layers of sound, and where the layers appear to have been planned with a meticulous attention to detail. While structure and instruments both are important here, the wow factor that transform this album into something s bit more special for me are the vocals. The switch between more careful and elegant vocals to emotionally laden singing where one can feel the angst, anger or despair is a most impressive feature here, to the point of meriting a description as haunting. One does get the impression that the singer here is really pouring out his heart as well as his soul, with a delivery that makes it difficult not to be touched on an emotional level. When pure and raw emotion is paired with a proper tone control, then the end result can be impressive. The best songs on this album document this in a rather impressive manner in my opinion.

Conclusion. Belgian band PVRS make use of the doom metal tradition as the foundation for their excursions into an accessible variety of doom and atmospheric laden metal. Those who are intrigued by a more progressive approach to the use of song structure and find that a powerful, majestic and emotionally laden execution of doom and atmospheric metal oriented creations are of general interest should find a lot to be of interest on this album. A mesmerizing album with dark and alluring qualities and a bit of a Wagnerian take on powerful arrangements with the vocal emotions to match.

Progmessor: December 2024
The Rating Room