In the three years since Biffy Clyro released their highly ambitious third album, ‘Infinity Land’ a lot has happened. To put it mildly. Brimming with optimism about how they had just surpassed themselves on their most dense and rewarding album yet, the Ayrshire trio privately hoped (and believed) it would be the record that would catapult them from cult status to stadium staple. That wasn’t to be the case though and the band increasingly felt their ambitions weren’t matched by their then record label, Beggars Banquet. A long, drawn out legal brouhaha followed which to cut a long story short, ended with Biffy and Beggars parting ways and the band signing with Warners subsidiary 14th Floor. On the ‘Infinity Land’ promotional tour though something even more traumatic happened. Singer, guitarist and chief songwriter Simon Neil suffered the loss of his mother, Eleanor. Those two events act as the creative cue (and arguably stimulus) for ‘Puzzle’- Biffy’s most heartfelt and impressive achievement to date.

To suggest this is simply Simon Neil’s mourning or tribute record is to do the band and him a huge disservice but death looms large over many of this album’s key tracks. When he sings “I met God and he had nothing to say to me”, on punchy, operatic opener ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’ Neil is pouring out his grief, confronting his demons and entering a creative realm that offers more than just a hooky chorus or catchy refrain. Oh, it has those too, much like every one of ‘Puzzle’s 13 tracks but we’re talking something more important.

‘Folding Stars’ tackles Neil’s loss head-on with the frank, touching lines “Eleanor, I would do anything for another minute with you / Because it’s not getting easier”. It’s a pretty stark sentiment, spilling out pain and sadness; made all the more affecting by the current climate of emotion as fashion accessory. This is so real it’ll make the hairs bristle on your skin. Internet discussion on the album following a leak suggests many old fans hate this track in particular, claiming Biffy has sold out. If anyone can honestly listen to this album in the appropriate context and from the honest place it’s intended and still level that accusation they’re either a cold-hearted liar or hiding some deep-seated bitterness.

Sonically Biffy have simplified, that is without question. Yet there are enough neat little tricks here to please long term fans too, like on the ‘/15th’ interludes or the bouncy QOTSA-esque ‘Who’s Got A Match?’. However, where previously they would have taken a simple melody and pulled it apart, they’ve inverted their every instinct, making for the most glorious results. Sounding in turns like everything from Foo Fighters to soundtrack master Jerry Goldsmith, the new Biffy is potentially the stadium-hogging act they always wished they could be. It’s at your discretion how cynical you wanna be about that. We’re going solely on the evidence and strength of these 13 tracks and sticking our neck out to say this is the bravest and best thing they’ve done yet.

Words_David McLaughlin

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DOWNLOAD: ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’, ‘Who’s Got A Match?’, ‘Get Fucked Stud’
FOR FANS OF: Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age