Pestilent Reign
Pyres
Chris – Vocals, Lyrics;
Lars – Guitar, Songwriting;
Sebastian – Drums
Mick – Bass
Released 03/16/2018
Rising Nemesis Records
Stuttgart grinding death metal unit Pestilent Reign dropped this album on 03/16/2018, and holy hell does it deliver. Its going to (if it hasn’t already) grind you up, and spit you out. Your ear holes will thank you I am sure of it, but don’t think it doesn’t come with a price. Pestilent Reign set out to assault the listener with a barrage of audio artillery. Mission accomplished as far as I am concerned, they do just that and much more. their blend of death metal walks the lines of grind and death metal. but I wouldn’t call them a death grind band. They make produce a gritty and deathly sounding style of metal. Having gotten more plays than most of the albums I have gotten early this year, this one stands out. Pyres doesn’t fit any cookie cutter mold, there is nothing cliche sounding about them, and they sure as fuck don’t pussy foot around things either. Zealot is a great example of that. Lets break it down.
- Martyr
This song begins with a sound clip and gets things started within only a few seconds, simply laying down a nice rhythm and something to get hooked by. the chugging guitar riff around the thirty second mark is what draws the listener in first, and then they pick up the pace with vocals joining in and the beat has that. This song gives me a Misery Index feel to it, the vocals have that similar delivery style. But it doesn’t take me too far into the song before I get a Psycroptic vibe from it also. This is like technical death grind and I fucking love it. If this is how the album will begin I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album. Right around the 3:30 mark they set things up for a killer breakdown, while I feel they added that bass drop after the bell hit and it took away some credibility. I hate the bass drop thing but they very very quickly recover with the guitars that almost match a track off of Aborted’s “Strychnine 213” album. Just a driving guitar rhythm and drums to match and I think it carries the song out and into the next song great.
2. You Will Kneel In Piss And Blood
Damn, Martyr rolls right into this and this one takes right off, with a more guttural tone to the vocals and its absolutely brutal sounding. Get to that :12 second mark and you can hear the ping of the ride and that subtle bit of change around the kit adds just a little bit more of a hook to sink into the listener. It’s around 180 BPM of constant crushing force, the guitars are chugging along, until around the 1:20 mark and there is a little section where they are transitioning into the next verse that is quite catchy. With one of my favorite things that some vocalists do happening right around the1:44 mark. That vomit spitting exclamation that when done well and at the right time. Is almost like having another instrument. For anyone who says a vocalist is just someone on a microphone. They don’t take into consideration all the different ranges, and tools that a vocalist has with their own set of vocal chords. This song is so simple, but so catchy. You can’t help but move in time with the song. it’s a catchy track. I will say it is only about three and a half minutes long. You will get hooked right away, but it will be over before you wish it was.
3. Savior
This may be my favorite song off this album. The song has such a simple beginning and a simple formula, but the energy is there, the guitars string you along with the chugging riffs at the :28 mark and then the lead guitar come in at the :37 mark that sinks its hooks right into you. and that’s all they continuously do, they play a simple rhythm, nothing complex, but they mix in great guitar work in and out of the song. It seems like every time I check the time only about 10-20 seconds goes by before the next guitar line that pleasures my ear holes. This song has a bit more of melodic edge to it at times. The magic that begins right around the 2-minute mark sets up a very nice thirty second section. A nice bell hit on the 2:04 to set up that cool sequence of guitars and drums no vocals. Right at 2:30 the vocals join in again and bulldoze right through each lyrical line for just over thirty seconds and then we get a quick guitar solo to take us into the next wave of the song.
4. Ouroboros
Boom right out of the gate with that vocal vomit “Blech” and blast beats with a driving riff to take us into the first verse. its hitting at around 210 beats per minutes and has such a catchy yet driving rhythm. This is a song that you just start moving to right away. But its right around the 1:18 mark when these guys really deliver a style reminiscent of Misery Index. I have gotten the Misery Index feel the whole time, but this moment really emphasizes that. Considering Misery Index is one of my favorite bands you can best believe this is hitting me with impressive force. Don’t forget that guitar solo around the 2:45 mark that for being around eighteen seconds long is perfect. It’s not too long of a solo, it’s not to flashy either. Its catchy, long enough and adds just enough to the song to really enjoy this one from start to finish with ease. It’s a very simple track but the intensity is top notch.
5. Cleanse The Flesh
This song sounds like a Misery Index track right out of the gate, simple drum set up and then that grinding guitar riff that instantly makes me start mean mugging it. I love the raw aggressive vocal style with this track. There is no pussy fitting around with this song, it’s the shortest track, the bluntest and coarse sounding also. I think you as the listener should listen to this track for yourself to get the full effect. Three minutes and change long, raw, grinding, and infectious.
6. Zealot
Damn this song is one of my faves off this album. It begins with what seems like a very simple beginning. A chugging riff matched with a drum intro matching the rhythm. by the time the vocals join in. This is a song that in the beginning reminds me of Misery Index. the raw, and aggressive vocal stylings, blended with blast beats and the guitars are on point. Right around the 5: 20 mark this song could strike a nerve with many metal heads as it has a clip from Steven Anderson, leader of the Faithful Word Baptist Church at 2741 W Southern Ave #14, Tempe, AZ 85282 talking about the Paris nightclub shooting that happened during an “Eagles of Death metal” show. You know because the eagles of death metal or a heavy Satan loving bunch of blasphemers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIwJ872CbME. At the time of this review being written, this video was still available. I guess it finally got through to the guy that he is a blithering idiot. During and after the asinine rantings of Anderson, the band gets into a really cool section, full of groove and having more of a melodic death feel. a sound and style that will suck you right in and then the guitar solo to take you from 5:59 through to the end of the song wrapping this one up nicely. This is my most played track, I’m reluctant to say the best song of the album. but boy does this song have a killer affect on me as a listener.
7. I.M.T.R.M.
Starting with a bulldozing double bass roll and chugging guitars and the vocals set up the beginning nicely along with the guitars and drums. Right around the :10 second mark you hear that ping of the ride bell and then shortly after its right into the first verse. they maintain the same drive throughout the song until right around the halfway point, which I would consider to be the chorus section. It’s more melodic than any of the other previous tracks or sections. They come out of that chorus and go into the next verse which doesn’t last all that long, but finishes the song out with one last “blech” and then it rolls right into Gutters filth. This is not my most played or even favorite song, but it has a good deal to offer. I am really unable to say that there are any bad songs, or songs I didn’t like.
8. Gutter’s Filth
Coming right out of the gates they hit us with a fifteen second set up to get things going, and it’s not until the :32 second mark the guitars change into a menacing riff that only leads me to believe the next section is going to be fucking awesome. And it is, the guitars and vocals are flowing together perfectly. Right at the :48 mark when they vocals come in they are rapid fire following the beat of the song. they rip the shit out of you for about twenty seconds and then slow it down to a brutal show of confidence with the seamless change and the Goliath-like vocals to bludgeon and hammer you down. Around the 1:52 they work back into that rapid fire vocal delivery fueled to the max with unrelenting blast beats. Right around the three-minute mark they change things up with what reminds me of Redneck Era Lamb of God until they are just about to the four-minute mark. That last minute and change is this rapid fire section with the guitars sounding simply un-containable. They just slice right though you and you can’t help but sit, wait for the album to restart and start the whole ride all over again.
For fans of Misery Index, Soreption, Psycroptic. Leng Tche, and Aborted
This album is so damned good. I have had so many mixed feelings about this album and they all revolve around which track I would consider to be the best track on the album. This is their debut full length and it is simply put, a filthy beast. Absolutely crushing and as mentioned above is for fans of Misery Index and Psycroptic. I could hear little moments that reminded me of Aborted from their Strychnine 213 album, I have heard a multitude of influences and what I can say is they put it all together and made something brilliant. I can tell you this will be one of my most played albums of 2018 and for good reason. Not every track sounds the same, and there isn’t a single dull moment in the entire album. Not a single second of bland, mediocre, or stale sound, its raw, its aggressive, and by the sounds of it they will fuck your shit right up if you aren’t quick enough to dodge this haymaker of a heavy hitting album. 8.5/10 \m/
Links:
Bandcamp – https://risingnemesisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pyres
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Pestilentreign/
Website – http://www.pestilentreign.de/
The Rising Nemesis Records Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/RNRecords/
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