Unsung / MoonJune 2025
Breathtakingly beautiful instrumental tapestries from free spirits who soar together.
feat. Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis
– Truce <3
Fearless experimenter he may be, but Markus Reuter more often than not deploys melody as a vehicle for, as opposed to endpoint of, his works which, again frequently, exist in the moment, rather than get lodged in the listener’s memory, and, thus, always retain their freshness. Still, the German guitarist reaches for eternity sometimes, yet almost simultaneously with 2020’s "Sun Trance," which saw him navigate the dangerous waters between symphonic and avant-garde idioms, emerged an album called “Truce” which was perilously fierce, enough to set the tone for an entire series of records. However, while its 2022 follow-up, where Reuter reunited with fellow composers Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis, explored the same routes in an increasingly serious way, the third chapter of this sequence will change the trio’s approach to their venture, because – as suggested by the cover artwork, showing in full the portraits that only partially appeared on the previous installments’ sleeves, and by the platter’s title transforming into a heart on the Web – “<3” is revelatory in terms of riveting tunes.
The stylistic shifts come alive from the very start, as Sirkis’ frontal beat and Trentini’s supple rumble prepare a mesmerically moving background for strum to swell and slowly turn first into powerful twang and then into sky-hugging figures, whose sustained notes seem to infinitely expand and meander, before snapping to speedy filigree and solemn riffs to expose the whole wonder of “Not Alone” as sublime example of a worry-based ballad. It’s not a one-off statement, but there’s no need for “Never Apart” to provide opener with an invigorating, passionate even, and quite concise, sequel; there are more delights between these two tracks that lead towards “Love Theme” which must be Reuter’s most overt romantic offering. If “We Have Your Back” fades in on a steady groove yet fractures initial harmonies soon after to let their glimmering fragments embroider the piece’s bottom-end, “It’s Not In The Cards” punches and punctures sonic walls without the slightest sinister intent the number’s electronic layer could hint at, while “Crooked” appears more representative of Markus’ usual soundscaping, his guitar passages furrowing the rhythm section’s ferocious sway in unpredictable directions, and “Bond” embraces pop sensibilities without betraying its progressive grandeur.
Launching a deliciously sophisticated attack on the audience, “Guardian Shadow” purifies it all into fantastic fusion, but the sparsely sparkling epic “Echo Of Affection” dissolves the dense textures into ethereal anxiety too familiar to many a lover, unlike the incendiary “Shuffled Fate” that’s possessed with majestic, easily remembered vibrancy. To state that “Truce <3" is the best Markus Reuter album would mean to deny the master his customary modus operandi, but to say that this is one of his most astounding, outstandingly accessible works is to be true to reality. *****
