Now seen as a festival and Radio 1 playlist stalwart, Biffy Clyro have managed to almost sneakily become one of the biggest rock bands in Britain today. Once a band with a devoted cult fanbase, they have transformed from a quirky, heavy ‘thinking-man’s rock band’ into one that rivals Muse on the grandiose stakes. Following on from the big choruses and frantic pace of much of Puzzle, this record starts at Biffy’s most frenetic on ‘The Captain’. Being almost too loud and quite frankly, mental, it seems as if the band may have gone too far in the direction that had given them their recent success. Things don’t quieten down after this either, as single ‘That Golden Rule’ thrashes its way into your ears, making one of the most jagged, and almost jarring album openings in quite some time.
This opening duo does not give an accurate representation of Only Revolutions as a whole, though. As a complete package, this is the band’s most refined collection so far, with a range of tempos and themes throughout the album creating what is one of the most exciting rock albums of the year. The scale doesn’t often stray from ‘epic’; even the ballads on the album, such as highlight ‘Many of Horror’ sound more ambitious than those of their competitors. What Biffy Clyro have managed on Only Revolutions is a distillation of their sound into a more radio-friendly package whilst never cutting back on the quality. It’s quite an achievement.
***½
Matt Eustace
