London based trio, Partikel, have been playing together for over six years, including a running regular weekly jam session at the Hideaway, which has enabled them to hone the tight interplay evident on their first two albums. So, it was something of a gamble to introduce a string quartet for this third release, effectively expanding the ensemble to a septet. The approach has paid off, though, with saxophonist Duncan Eagles' string arrangements touching on an impressively diverse range of tactics. In the opening three-part suite, ‘Clash Of The Titans’ alone, we encounter turbulent avant-riffage, lush, cinematic sophistication, and tense, creeping pizzicato, topped off with a soaring violin solo of toe-curling agility from Benet McLean – here trading his usual seat at the piano for the role of lead violin with astonishing ease. Yet, despite McLean's voluble personality, the strings for the most part operate as one four-headed beast, negotiating composed themes and improvised interjections with authority and imagination. Of course, there was always a danger that the strings would bury some of the trio's raw energy in smooth softness, but a sense of taut urgency persists throughout – thanks in no small part to drummer Eric Ford's nippy clatter. It's an ambitious project, convincingly realised.