As many of you may agree, there are in fact 2 Biffy Clyros. The first is old school Biffy as heard on Blackened Sky, The Vertigo of Bliss and Infinity Land. The other is Puzzle Biffy (as heard on the album Puzzle if my naming doesn't point that out).
I say this because Puzzle had a very different sound to the first 3 albums. Many old-school fans have stated that Puzzle is far too mainstream. They have a fair point, as Puzzle has a very radio friendly sound with songs such as Folding Stars earning them mainstream fame. Many Biffy Clyro fans felt alienated by this change in direction (I personally love the album, as well as older Biffy).
This has left the band with a bit of a dilemma in which direction to go. Do they stick with the mainstream sound and continue their mainstream success, or do they go back to the old sound and please their longer standing fan base.
In there new album, Only Revolutions, they seem to have decided to try and please both sets of fans. There are very Puzzle-esque songs such as The Captain, That Golden Rule and Mountains, but the album is also full of albums that would fit very well into their older albums, such as Bubbles, Born On A Horse, and God & Satan.
This approach works on the level that every Biffy fan will have songs on this album which they will enjoy (and they will, this is both Biffys at their best). However the album only works as a whole if you like both the mainstream and non-mainstream sounds. I personally do, and think that this is a very good album, although it's hard to shake the feeling that Biffy have sat on the fence a little bit. If you like everything Biffy Clyro have done up to this point, then buy this album, you won't be disappointed. However, it's hard to recommend the album to anyone else. Maybe get the songs that suit you from itunes.
I love this album and feel it has many great tracks, but I feel that I am unable to recommend it to everyone, so that damages the overall score
Rating: 8/10
Stand out songs: The Captain, That Golden Rule, Mountains, Born On A Horse, Many of Horror
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