Once upon a time, there was a band called Far. Far would be one of the best bands to come out of the late nineties. Yet they were so honest and original that they fell through the cracks since they did not neatly fit into the popular genres at the time. They were too melodic and introspective for nu-metal kids and too pounding and cathartic for the emo kids. 

Their singer Jonah Mantranga went on to create music in varied projects after that but none hit that spot until he teamed up with Mitch Wheeler, drummer from Will Haven to join Sons of Alpha Centauri. Pull (Exile on Mainstream) follows 2021’s Push and marks this version of the project’s second effort, and the fourth release under the SOAC banner, and further reaches a sonic balance. 

The opening track finds SOAC in a very Deftones-like place with lighter vocals moaning over the lower grooves lurking around them. Many songs on this album require at least a second listen to fully soak it in. With closer listens, it becomes clear that Mantranga is delivering melodies and lyrics that live up to his legacy. That is not to say on songs like “Ease” there might be some exploratory uncertainty, if his style of singing meshes with this style of lower-tuned harder-driving guitar. 

Sons… reach a middle ground in this regard with the title track. You can hear the vocals fall into place more organically as Mantranga takes himself into a new direction, immersing in the SOAC vision, and the creative footing creates emotional vulnerability. You can never accuse them of recycling ideas and trying to just recapture the past. 

It is hard not to appreciate the more balladic drone of “Tetanus Blades”. This brings them in a zip code closer to what the shoegaze revival bands are doing. “Doomed” finds him closer to the mic and able to weave a more effective melody with his voice. The heft of the guitar driving “Weakening Pulse” compliments Jonah’s vocals. This is not an album that is riff-forward, with the most distinctive rock riffs defining “Final Voyage” which gives him more to work with. The album closes with “Unspeakable Melody” which finds another big guitar riff chugging along. Pull is better composed than most hard rock albums with such a compelling emotional side. It might not be a Far album but it comes closer to the harder edge Far had than onelinedrawing project, so fans of his work should rejoice.

Buy the album here:
https://sonsofalphacentauri.bandcamp.com/album/pull

8 / 10
WIL CIFER