Genre: Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Date of Release: April 16, 2013
PUNISHING MODERN DEATH
From
the grand musicians who have brought you such profound metal acts as As I Lay
Dying and Allegaeon, comes one of the newest giants in the modern death metal
genre. They began in 2012 from Agoura Hills, California, where the
collaboration of some very talented acts combined to establish a new modern
metal battalion. Doing the vocals is Tim Lambesis, the founder of the project,
who is the main vocalist for legendary outfit As I Lay Dying, and the
guitarists are Ryan Glisan of melodic death metal band Allegaeon and Andy
Godwin, formerly of death metal band The Famine. However, entering the studio
with the trio are drummer John Paul Andrade of The Breathing Process and
bassist Josh Gilbert, who is also from As I Lay Dying. In 2013, the end result
turns out to be the band’s release of their debut EP, “The Burden of Sorrow.” This
record may only carry three tracks and only lasts a little over ten minutes in
running time, but the collaboration demonstrates that they are a force not to
be taken so lightly.
Considering
the lineup that Pyrithion has conjured in its roster, it would seem incredibly
tempting to fall into the trap where the members merely show off their
instrumental talents without tying into the actual tracks. However, this EP
makes it clear that this band has no intention of doing so, and everything about
the musicianship is powerful, along with the production and mixing. The vocal
range of Tim Lambesis is very versatile, ranging from brutal low growls to high
pitches to his traditional mid-pitch roars without sounding strained, and they
teem with awesome ferocity. The guitars also perform their part incredibly
well, packed with unrelentingly heavy riffs and wicked melodies which alone are
enough to get the crowd’s blood boiling. The drums are excellent, managing to
hold a solid ground and focus in the midst of their technical chaos and
providing a vicious framework for the band’s modern death assault. On top of
all of this, the sound production is great, because not only does it let each
instrument stand out without losing concentration, but it also gives the music
itself a somewhat gigantic atmosphere, and thus makes the formula more
destructive. As a whole, the musicianship and the production are executed
wondrously in this fine, deadly release.
In “The
Burden of Sorrow,” each of the three tracks that the release offers to its audience
consists of pummeling rapid-fire modern death metal. Simply put, the album
overall is incredibly fierce in its attack, but they do not compromise
structure or engaging dynamic in place of this energy. All of the songs are
well-built, having peaks and buildups that will definitely keep listeners
engaged. The tracks never linger in terms of instrumental noodling or dragging
out padded filler, and the end result is a well-focused piece of modern death
metal. On top of that, the energy and intensity behind these tumultuous tunes
is top-notch, with all elements of the musicianship coming together to generate
three potent tracks to pummel the band’s audience with. However, that being
said, when going into this release, you should not expect anything necessarily
new or groundbreaking for the group’s own genre. But even so, they showcase it
so well that it simply should not be overlooked. Although all of the three
tracks are great, the best bet overall would be the last one, “Rest in the Arms
of the Paralyzed Beast,” as it best showcases the band’s explosive energy,
build-up, and dynamic the best. In this stellar EP, the band demonstrates how a
band can focus on engaging listeners in terms of structure while managing to
hold tight to unflinching rage and energy.
“The
Burden of Sorrow” has turned out to be an incredibly solid and enjoyable
release. Pyrithion definitely lives up to its hype, having been generated from
members of bands such as As I Lay Dying and The Famine, but the talent of these
musicians alone is not the only thing that makes this EP so great. The structures
are rock-solid and well-built, bearing some great speed and investment, and on
top of that foundation, there is so much violent and fiery energy behind the
music that it keeps listeners all the more engaged. As stated earlier, nothing
innovative or earth-shatteringly new is exactly brought into the band’s heavy
genre, so people who wish for something inventive may not be too interested in
this. However, that being said, fans of even the projects that the members
themselves are involved in will really enjoy hearing them collaborate into this
effort. Along with that, in the big picture, fans of feral and quite technical
modern death metal will want to try out this dose of musical devastation. All
in all, Pyrithion has certainly made their debut into the metal scene with this
strong release.
Score: 8.5/10 (Great+)
