From Bandcamp, “After four long years of silence and absence in the fog of the pandemic and war, like a heavy sledgehammer rushing towards your head, PYRE returns with their third full-length murderous opus. With the unique fresh-sounding production but yet traditionally made in the old-school vein, along with the new level of performance, the new album delivers mid-tempo darkness and colder atmosphere of their previous album, complemented by classic phrases of band’s well-known high-speed crushing low-tuned rattling riffage with obscure melodies and solos and surely recognizable signature frantic voice.”

The album has ten songs, and the title track is first. It’s a slow, riff-driven song that features some guitar changes and layers, which is unusual for Black Metal, and the vocals are raspy shouts…crossing somewhere between Black Metal and Thrash Metal. “Domains of the Nameless Rites” is a faster conglomerate of the aforementioned genres and the band plays with a lot of fuel, and a lot of energy. “Wandering…” is a short little segue that focuses on harrowing sounds, and a landscape of evil. “Murderous Transcendence” begins with some lead dive bombs, bringing some Death Metal along with it. The riffs change often, showing the band’s deep well of songwriting ability.

“Writhing Souls” is another slow and heavy grind at first, but it followed by some faster moving riffs and drums. One thing that I can’t mention enough is how often the band shifts the riffs—it’s uncanny. “Chanting Ancient Incantations” has a thicker backbone that even leans towards the Punk genre a bit…or at least, within the realm of MOTORHEAD. The guitar riffs also echo with the nefariousness of evil. “Pestilential Fumes” is slow and goes very deep with a cavernous introduction, and brutal tones dominate the sound. The grind is accentuated with thick bass notes as well. “Descending…” is another short segue song that leads to the final push on the album called “Prognostic of the Apocalypse.” It’s another bruiser that will leave you battered at the end.

Overall, this was a good album, that easily combined elements of Black, Death, and Thrash Metal into a thick stew that nourishes your hunger. At times, they grind it out slowly, letting the poison seep in, while other times, they shove it right down your throat without a second thought. I especially like their energy.