Throughout their musical endeavors as Mortal and now Fold Zandura, Jerome and Jyro have displayed an incredible knack for versatility and diversity in their music. Originally intended as a side project, Pura was instead billed as the fourth Mortal album. Mostly featuring slow, almost ambient keyboards with a textured, moody feel, Pura is a dramatic departure from the hard alternative sound of Wake.
The title track, “Sandstarr,” and “Solamente” all give you the feeling that you’re walking down a beach and are very relaxing, while the starkness of “Gaza” easily conjures up images of that often violence-torn Palestinian enclave. On “Nightfall and Splendor,” the band even treats us to a female vocalist. To remind us that this is still a work by two of Christian industrial’s greats, “Grip” and “Liquid Gift” give the listener a complete change of pace, as Jerome and Jyro revert back to the guitar-driven industrial music that put them on the map.
All in all, a great album.
Written by James McGinnis. This review originally appeared on the Flaming Fish Music website.