Prosperina - Harness-Minus

Reviews of Prosperina’s debut, 2012’s Faith in Sleep, threw out great write-ups and comparisons to such bands. Make no mistake, the Welsh three-piece have a long way to go before they achieve the same level of high-concept, adroit artistry as the aforementioned, but the praise wasn’t just undeserved hyperbole either. Their first effort was cohesive, cross-pollinating an impressive sound that merged Kyuss’ drug-addled stoner sludge, Mastodon’s filthy guitars and Once Around the Sun vocal lines and Tool’s penchant for progressive, at times ethereal, shape-changing riffage.

The same nods are all here again on Harness-Minus, Prosperina’s highly accomplished and more than just promising follow-up, but at no point do the band fall into the realms of pale imitation. Joe Gibb (The Cure, Janes Addiction, Million Dead), who mixed and produced some of the stand out tracks from Faith in Sleep, is back at the helm and he’s exploited the bands ability to sound massive to the full.

Opener “Chase to the Throne” beings with bright flares of guitar that segue back and forth between crunchy guitars and Tool-esque twists of ambience. First single “Cult Leader’s Handbook” is darker and doomier, chugging through nightmarish verses until arriving at a clearing; a catchy chorus and two time signature changes, before disappearing back into the prog. Similarly, “Graveyard of Ambition” takes Black Sabbath doom as its central pillar, surrounding it with washes of anthemic vocals. At just over four and half minutes it’s one of the bands least proggy and straight to the point cuts.

There are moments when band aren’t afraid to strip things back; “Ship of Fools”, the album’s shortest track, is a drone punctuated with sawing effects, and “Here Lies the Ruins” explores the same avenue. The prettiest Prosperina get, the guitars sound almost lullaby-esque, a whispered vocal aching with regret. It’s done well, but there’s no doubt the band are at their most effective when they put their foot to the metal.

Easily the standout track is “Proles”, where the band come over like Type O Negative with their veil lifted. Heavy and hypnotic and one of the longer tracks, there’s plenty of time for singer and guitarist Gethin Woolcock and bassist Owen Street to really flex their muscles, unleashing slow-motion slabs of thick doom and gloom which build into a brooding and ghoulish climax, Yotin Walsh’s drums building alongside Woolcock’s vocal harmonies. It’s also the moment that best encapsulates what Prosperina are, their intentions and the path they’ll continue down into, we hope their bright future, the instant when all their influences best collide but also the best example of how they can wear them proudly while conjuring a sound that’s their own; as punishing as it is melodic, with stunning results.