AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): PYRE OF DESCENT — “PEAKS OF ETERNAL LIGHT”

 

Crystalline notes echo across incorporeal spheres, soulful arpeggios ring out and reverberate, back-beats rock from the kit as a vibrant bass punches the pulse, the melody soars like an anthem, dour vocals present a gothic haunting gloom and turn to scarred howls, and spiraling guitar solos scintillate the senses. “Fyre” is a compulsive rocker, irresistible in its rhythms, but in its ethereal, chiming melodies it seems like a musical spell woven with threads made of light.

“Fyre” is the first song presented on the debut EP of the Berlin-based band, Pyre of Descent, and it makes for an enthralling introduction to Peaks Of Eternal Light, which will be released on February 24th by the Italian label Terror From Hell Records. But as compelling as that song is, the remaining three tracks are equally seductive, and equally aimed at transcendental goals — as you shall discover through our stream of the entire EP today.

Not for naught does TFH Records describe it as “31 minutes of enigmatic grace paired with sorrowful tension”, and not for naught do Pyre of Descent introduce their creations in these words:

 

 

“PYRE OF DESCENT is an inward pilgrimage diving into the bottomless pit of one’s own inner darkness. Away from the world of forms and into the realm of mind and mindlessness, symbols and archetypes; and then even further beyond, where distinction, definition and boundaries fall away; where all and naught converge as one and dance the dance of eternality.”

“Eyes Of The Blind” is far moodier than “Fyre” at first, far more desolate and discordant in its opening, even in the presence of a wailing solo, but the song accelerates, the drums hammering out a propulsive beat and the chords slashing and slithering. The vocals again segue between low melancholy musings and harsher assaults, rising in shrieks. You’ll already know by now how spellbinding and emotionally charged Pyre of Descent‘s layered guitar leads and solos are, and their chiming harmonies become the mesmerizing centerpiece of the song when the cadence slows.

Brooding and beautiful, the song denominated “†” is perhaps the most mystical of all. Through its guitar sorcery and subdued rhythms and vocals, it lulls us into an uneasy reverie. The male singing is solemn and beclouded by darkness, but the female vocals create a ghostly and glittering partner. If there is warmth in this icy but alluring spell, it emanates from the bass, a bit of earthiness in the midst of a dream.

The band’s skill at conjuring mesmerizing, mist-shrouded visions that transcend the mundane world is quite impressive, a skill demonstrated one last time in the long closing track “To See Into The Dark (VI Wheel)“. With the bass and a steady drumbeat to guide our way, we’re again drawn into a ghostly realm, with the guitars resembling pale translucent hands beckoning us ever onward, further into the glimmering dreamworld the band are creating.

Consistently downcast and depressive in their sounds, the vocals (and the gradual snuffing-out of the light provided by the guitars) pull the mood of the music down into sorrowing depths — but things change dramatically. Heavy chords rain down and gut-punching bass rumbles the body, as the drumming rattles the skull. The music grows increasingly more intense and marauding — still enshrouded in darkness, to be sure, but finding a place where grandeur and desolation co-exist until, at the end, we seem to pass through a portal into the ether.

 

 

Well, these are just one person’s impressions of the fascinating sensations created by Peaks Of Eternal Light. You’ll have impressions of your own as you listen, and if you’re a fan of gothic rock and psychedelia, blended with doses of metallic heaviness and extremity, we predict it will leave you very satisfied — and maybe even feeling transported by this band’s own spiritual journey.

For more info about this release and how to acquire it, check the links below.

PYRE OF DESCENT is:
Dave S. – vocals, guitars & bass
Julia N. – guitars
Jamie S.M. – drums
Guest vocals on † by (DOLCH)

PRE-ORDER:
https://terrorfromhellrecords.bandcamp.com/album/peaks-of-eternal-light

PYRE OF DESCENT:
https://www.facebook.com/pyreofdescent