VAST PYRE is a doom metal band from Germany, who formed in 2021. This self-titled album is their full-length debut. I am very impressed with this album. Although their sound clearly takes a lot of influences from stoner doom/metal, it’s a lot more engaging and dynamic than so many other bands that go for this sound. They stretch the confines of the genre and offer up a deep sound that takes on a lot in its 7 song, 36 minute runtime. It’s a smartly written album and I have to give the band credit for having the guts to really put themselves out there on their very first release. They pull it off and then some.

The production and atmosphere is maddening and even psychedelic. It has a rough DIY style but that’s fine with me because it makes the album sound bleak as hell and heavy as a planet. The fuzz on the guitars is so huge that they felt like they were going to fall out of my headphones and land onto the floor. Massive, just massive guitar tone. What makes the album so special is that it isn’t afraid to lean into one style over another when it fits the needs of the song. They don’t throw ideas out there and hope they stick— 100% throw ideas out there KNOWING they are going to work.

There is an extreme metal influence on the album too, a sort of hellish approach to their craft that is far more dark and bleak than many of their contemporaries. Is this music for the end of the world? Sure sounds like it and I wouldn’t have it any other way.But that isn't all they bring to the table! Psychedelic and drone tendencies are incorporated throughout, seamless and subtle in a way that steers the songs without them becoming too obtuse. Since the album “just” has five songs, I will say a little about each of them. The album opens with “Focus Deceased,” and is immediately bottomless with its bass tones. The riffs soon arrive and propel the song into really dark territory. The lead guitar adds another layer, a sort of victorious harmony—victory for the dark side. At this point, I’m sure which instrument is the most abrasive. The vocals alternate between a hazy stoner doom type clean vocal and blackened screams. It’s all very effective and with a decent pair of headphones, it will feel like the band playing next to you.

The song fades out with drone landscapes as the drums begin to take a walk down a different path. This leads to a mysterious and more than a little creepy clean mid section. Bass and drums rule this land, leading my ears around dark corners that soon wind back into distorted chaos. “Cataleptic,” opens with the rumbling of drums, offering a surprisingly hectic showing that pairs well with the ominous riffs. This whole passage is filled with nervous energy and kind of makes me afraid for my own life even though I’m in the comfort of my own home writing this review, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking coffee. But that’s a testament to the power of the song, and the album as a whole, to be able to transport me to another realm even if it's one that makes me want to vomit with trepidation. That’s a compliment, by the way.

The middle of the song is a banger, the music kicking up the tempo and raging out like nobody's business. The vocals are very potent here, another element of danger clinging onto the song. “Eternal Funeral,” sounds like, well, its title. Much like death itself, the song has a cold unknown quality to it even while being an unstoppable certainty. Some of the thicket, grooviest riffs are on this song, all brought to life with the help of the bass and drums. As the song moves along, it becomes monolithic and stampeding at the same time. A very stark song, but one that gripped me from beginning to end. “Revelation,” casts a wide net, pulling back with its monstrous bass tones and a slow, steady groove. The next four minutes are as heavy as a really heavy thing but a psychedelic passage l lurks around the bend. The sparse drums and lead guitar but themselves deep within my senses, tearing away my reality even as they build a new one for me to live in. The lead guitar ramps up more and more as the song turns back into a slow moving, sweltering world of crush and death.

The final song “The Argent Tomb” is perhaps my favorite of the bunch. It begins in silence but slowly reveals itself with ambient sounds building up to the 1:47 mark where the full weight of the band falls, destroying everything. It’s low, slow, hazy, and just incredible. I didn’t think that so close to the end of the album that it could possibly get heavier but the middle passage of the song proves my folly of such thinking.

VAST PYRE’s self-titled debut album is an incredible album with so many layers and details that I’m still not sure if I have full absorbed it all yet; I can’t get over how well written it is. Any fan of doom will absolutely need to add this to their collection. Hell, fans of heavy music in general should not mess this hidden gem.