Introduction
Band: Pyra
Album: Those Who Dwell in the Fire
Country: Italy
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Immortal Frost Productions
Release Date: 23 February 2023
Pyra, a Blackened Death Metal band from Italy, are about to release their first full album, and we are ready to share our thoughts on it with the rest of the world.
But who are Pyra or better yet, who are the bandmembers? The band was unknown to me, they did release an EP in 2022, but since there is a tsunami of black metal releases each year, I don’t expect to know of all of them.
So who are the members behind Pyra. Well, according to Metal Archives, they all use the first letter of their names; I. on guitars, L. on vocals, guitars and bass. And finally, we have E. who handles the drums.
All the members have prior experience in other projects, which includes bands such as Progenie Terrestre Pura, An Ocean Between Us and Dead Chasm. Most of these bands are unknown to me, but I do know of Progenie Terrestre Pura, which is a black metal band with sci-fi influences. So, with the formalities out of the way, what can you expect from their full album debut?
Those Who Dwell in the Fire
The album contains 6 brand-new tracks with a run time of a bit over 43 minutes. Which is a decent about of time, not too short and not too long. Personally, I’m not that big of a fan of albums that last more than an hour, but that’s having more to do with my attention span than the lack of quality.
- Cacus
- Summit of Existence
- Palingenesis
- Becoming
- Purified in Infinity
- Funeral Pyre
So you bought the CD, or you’re listening to it for the first time through your favorite streaming platform, what is there to expect? The build up on the first song, “Cacus” is strong, it sounds like a storm coming your way. It swells and builds momentum, then the guitars kick in. This momentum build up goes on for a minute or so as the storm keeps building towards its most furious just as the vocals come in.
About the vocals, that’s the only thing that I, personally, don’t like about the album. For me, they come off as too monotone. They do change sometimes in a few of the songs, but overall, it’s way too close to pure death metal vocals for me to fully enjoy them. But I also know that’s a personal taste and others might not mind it, or even like it. I am more into the icy and cold vocal style typical of black metal, so this just ain’t my cup of tea. But the vocals are one part of the music, and you know what they say “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” so we will focus more on the whole for now.
And the sum of the parts makes for a decent album. You can hear it’s all put together very well, the instruments sound great, and the vocals are mixed great with the instruments so that it makes for a coherent album. The album itself, for me, sounds more towards the Doom sound than black metal / death metal, but that could, of course, be my interpretation of the sound.
The song that appealed the most to me is the fourth track “Becoming” from the start of the song it’s fast-paced with nice drums and riffs. Like I said, the vocals are not my kind, but they do fit very well with the music.
Conclusion
Pyra delivered a decent debut album, and I am excited about what will come in the future. To what kind of listener would I recommend this album? If you are in to blackened Death with Doom influences, this album will be a perfect fit for you. For all the others, just give it a try and form your own judgement.
BMZ Rating: 6,5/10 (Above Average: The album has some standout moments and demonstrates competence in its execution. It may have a few memorable tracks or showcase some unique elements.)
Your Thoughts
Below, you will find the music video that got released for the track “Summit of Existence”
You can Order / Stream Album here: https://lnk.to/TWDITF
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