Pryzme’s ‘True Stories… And Other Lies’ is not another progressive rock album. Instead, this collection of musical pieces gives form to deeply personal feelings through melodies and soundscapes that show a wide range of emotions. ‘Four Inches’ was released four years ago, and it is now time to evaluate how the band has grown as songwriters and as musicians. This new full-length project provides a human and very personal touch with tracks that discuss everything from internal struggles to possible post-apocalyptic warnings. The group takes its time with each piece, and the music progresses at a relaxed pace. It is not chaotic. It is not aggressive. It is just honest and musically beautiful. The effect it has is something you can feel with your whole body.
The first cut, “Echo of Silent Place”, slowly creeps up to the listener, progressively increasing in intensity with the patient layering of guitars and the soft crooning of the vocals. The following song, “Earth Song”, feels much more grounded, and it certainly is in its message as well. Thoughtful and more mellow than the opener, this track speaks through a whisper with venom about the world around us and our sometimes careless behavior towards it. “End of the Anger” explodes everything with waves of funk grooves, rapid flashes of metallic chaos, and fragmented vocal styles. This is not just a song; it is a whirlwind that crashes into you and sounds like a chaotic mix of all your emotions. The following song, “Green Eyes”, strips everything back and creates a much more vulnerable atmosphere with a calm mood that allows the music to breathe. With more of a presence than the previous tracks, “Reality of Dreams” feels much lighter, but never free of its own darkness. Playful and heavy, this cut sounds like a question without a clear answer.
The album is now in its final stretch, and “Never Again” takes on a somewhat defeated and determined tone. It sounds almost like a lament for past transgressions with its metronomic drive and shiny production. At last, “Silent Place” opens up into a long ambient experience with little need for words as instruments weave images and emotions with an introspective aura. Bold without ever feeling cold, every track in the album fits together, but each song can be appreciated as a separate piece. Pryzme have crafted something truly beautiful here as the music that is not only complex but human.
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