Pyre - Where Obscurity Sways

Labels: Kattran Records/Osmose Productions

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 31 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Where Obscurity Sways

2. From The Stygian Depths

3. Domains Of The Nameless Rites

4. Wandering...

5. Murderous Transcendence

6. Writhing Souls

7. Chanting Ancient Incantations

8. Pestilential Fumes

9. Descending...

10. Prognostic Of The Apocalypse

It wasn't my intention to feature two Russian bands back-to-back, but I guess them's the brakes right?!. Unlike Searching The Shores For My Jackie, Oh; Pyre have existed since 2011 and are more well known in underground circles for their take on death metal. Under the nurturing wing of Osmose Productions (and with help from Kattran Records), they released their third full-length Where Obscurity Sways in January. There's a couple of guest appearances on it too, with vocals from Antti Oinonen (Cadaveric Incubator) and I.K. Winterheart (Ulvdalir).

After a few weeks of listening to tech-death (away from the blog), it’s refreshing to be listening to hear something that’s more deeply rooted in the moody, doom-like depths of old school death metal again. Pyre have the sound nailed on Where Obscurity Sways and after the title-track’s extended intro, out jumps Slayer-esque black-thrash filled death metal. It’s a stellar way to start the record and without so much as a pause for breath, ‘From The Stygian Depths’ takes over with the mid-paced percussive/bass murkiness of Oleg Malleus and Dym Nox respectively, as well as the exquisite guitar work from both Roman Rotten and Fred Obsinner. The addition of guest vocals from Antti Oinonen (of Cadaveric Incubator) drag things to even deeper depths, complementing the already nasty vocals of Dym and Roman.

‘Domains Of The Nameless’ has such a classic sound to it that it’s hard to believe it was released this year. There are so many influences and elements at play, and given the passing of UK heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne recently, it’s hard to ignore how much today’s extreme metal community take inspiration from Black Sabbath. Leaving that thought behind, Pyre choose ‘Wandering…’ as a brooding guitar interlude, which clears the way for ‘Murderous Transcendence’, the album’s longest tome. 

As the night begins to draw in ever closer, the sound of screeching guitar and pummelling kick-drumming fills the speakers. Pyre’s use of feedback coupled with filthy reverb-laden vocals really show that they’re capable of much darker things. The guest vocals from I.K. Winterheart (of Ulvdalir) add an extra dimension too. ‘Writhing Souls’ slowly drags you into the album’s latter half with more enticing doom-like riffs and excellent musicianship all round! The old-school mix of death, black and thrash metal is performed so well that you’ll forget that Pyre’s a product of the 2010’s. 

Faster tempos, blasts and reverb greets you on ‘Chanting Ancient Incantations’, as Pyre lurch forward from ploughed furrows to bleak horizons, that earlier seemed very far away. The shorter songs on Where Obscurity Sways (like this one) have an impact for sure but there’s something about the album’s longer songs that make it feel much more engrossing. ‘Pestilential Fumes’ pulls itself up to that engrossing layer by incorporating both the fast and slow dynamics of Pyre to help produce a truly killer song. 

There are similarities between penultimate interlude ‘Descending…’ and earlier one ‘Wandering…’, which may not come as a surprise. It does slightly ruin the momentum of the album’s closing portion but as it immediately leads into final song ‘Prognostic Of The Apocalypse’, all is soon forgiven as one last black-thrash battering awaits. It’s a punishing way to end things but it also shows the quality that Pyre possess. 

I feel like I’ve slept on this band for too long. They are deserved of praise for their passion for creating music that sounds not only more mature than it should, but also fresh amongst the barrage of brutal/tech-death that assaults us in 2025 (I enjoy both those forms of death metal more than ever but variation is the key).

You can stream and purchase Where Obscurity Sways on all formats from Pyre below:-

 

You can also purchase physical copies from Osmose Productions and Kattran Records below:- 

Osmose Productions -  https://www.osmoseproductions.com/

Kattran Records - https://kattran.ru/

Pyre - https://www.facebook.com/pyredeathmetal

Osmose Productions - https://www.facebook.com/osmoseproductions

Searching The Shores For My Jackie, Oh - You'll Despise Yourself

Labels: Polar Summer

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 30 May 2017

Tracklist:

1. Untitled

2. I Hate Your Lifestyle

3. More Than One Hour

4. Possession

5. Two-Tone Snakeskin Boots With Rolled Sleeves

6. Crush On You

7. I'll Ask Her

8. I Listen To A Park Jefferson Song And Go To Bed

9. Even Then You're Weak

Back again with another (and long-awaited, by me at least!) Polar Summer roster review. I sometimes  obsess over specific labels and having collected some of Polar Summer's releases already, I chose to delve into their catalogue. I'm still looking to build up and maybe complete the collection one day but for now digital streams will do.

Searching The Shores For My Jackie, Oh are (or were) an interesting band. From Kazan in Russia, they played emoviolence and had two releases in 2017 that were three months apart, if that!. The first was their self-titled album in January, which was released via Canadian label Le Blast Records and the second was this album in March, which featured some of the tracks from that S/T album and was released on tape by Polar Summer from Russia. That's all the info I have on them!

It’s very warm here this evening. We’re not used to it in the UK, as I’m sure I’ve said before. As I write this review, I’m melting and I like the heat! The emoviolence of Russian band Searching The Shores For My Jackie, Oh isn’t going to help me cool down so I might as well dive right in. ‘Untitled’ opens the album in a gentle fashion. It’s instrumentation is calming, though there’s a subtle rawness to it as well. It’s a hint at what’s to come maybe. ‘I Hate Your Lifestyle’ is where the band explodes. My first reaction was that the song-titled was a jab at Swedish emo band I Love Your Lifestyle, but I can’t conceive a reason why that would be.

What I can conceive though is just how raw and emotive things get on ‘I Hate Your Lifestyle’. It barely lasts over fifty seconds yet it’s authentic rawness and it’s caustic vocals show exactly what Searching The Shores For My Jackie, Oh are/were about. From here on in I’m going to refer to them as Jackie, Oh for ease. I think people who love acts like The Body will really like this album, especially thanks to the high-pitched vocals. ‘More Than One Hour’ proves exactly why, while also delivering percussion and guitar work that sounds engrossing and uplifting even.

Just like ‘I Hate Your Lifestyle’, ‘Possession’ is another sub one-minute blast of intensity. The vocals are buried further in the mix here as the instrumentation towers over them somewhat, but in doing so it takes away some of the caustic feel. ’Two-Tone Snakeskin Boots With Rolled Sleeves’ explodes after a brief period of slow guitar, only to fall away again thirty-seconds later as Jackie, Oh drop into more of an emo stance with gentler instrumentation and grungier shouts towards the end. Proving that feedback is a key staple of every emoviolence song, Jacki, Oh go a bit more artsy during’ Crush On You’. There’s something about it that comes across differently. I think it’s the tempos they use 

Rolling instantly into ‘I’ll Ask Her’, that artsy flair comes out even more in the riffs along with the switch in pace and mood mid-way through. The way the cleaner guitars and drumming sit alongside the piercing vocals shouldn’t work but does. ‘I Listen To A Park Jefferson Song And Go Back To Bed’ leans more towards hardcore and is very much darker in tone. It’s probably my favourite song on You’ll Despise Yourself. Jackie, Oh close out with ‘Even Then You’re Weak’ and they channel the inner emo band once again, punctuating the violence and creating the best of both worlds.

In a music community where short-lived bands are the norm, I can’t think of many whose life was as brief as Searching The Shores For My Jackie, Oh’s was. Two releases in three months was impressive output though and with them still being available to listen too, what is there to loose. Now, what do I have to do to get my hands on tape copies!

As I mentioned above, their S/T release and this one are still available to stream and purchase as name-your-price downloads via their bandcamp page below:-

Polar Summer - https://polarxsummer.bandcamp.com

Othiel - World's Fastest Car

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 26 May 2025

Tracklist:

1. Never

2. Stones You Throw

3. Walk Through Walls

4. Narration Sickness

5. Luke

6. Canaries

7. World's Fastest Car

Californian screamo band Othiel returned earlier this year with their 2nd full-length release, World's Fastest Car. The story of their connection to Zegema Beach Records began in 2023 (though it was probably much earlier) when they released their first full-length LP We Will Be Our Home in 2023, swiftly followed by the 2024 split tape with Palefade, through sister label Tomb Tree. World's Fastest Car was released towards the end of May on 200 digipak CD's.

This last week has been the most frustrating of all weeks. I have been on annual leave and I had planned my time around the blog; however, whenever I make plans, they usually go to shit! I couldn’t let today slip away without getting something written. The newest release by Othiel was released on CD (remember those?) earlier this year and all copies have been sold. Maybe there will be a repress?!

Kicking off with ‘Never’, Othiel’s musical quality is noticeable. Grandiose melodies and atmosphere join harsh vocals, which themselves lean more towards hardcore. The spoken-word sample used mid-way through is a big nod towards American post-hardcore of the early 2000’s, as is the more expansive overall feel throughout the song. Things get a lot more urgent and angular on ‘Stones You Throw’, as Othiel add panic-chords and off-kilter time signatures into the mix. These ingredients don’t necessarily make the songs go faster but merely give off that impression. There’s still a lofty amount of mid-tempo feel here in places.

Chunkier riffs are a thing on ‘Walk Through Walls’, adding to what is a much more intense song. It has so many different musical elements; combining meatier hardcore riffs with their off-kilter post hardcore and changing tempos, Othiel show that they’re very adept at writing shorter songs without losing any of the feel. The ringing feedback that closes out ‘Walk Through Walls’ flows into ‘Narration Sickness’, which makes greater use of punk rhythms alongside dynamics that can’t be placed as easily. There’s definitely some production/mixing wizardry at play. 

‘Luke’ shows that there is a pattern to the album, as it opens once again with more ferocious post-hardcore, which gives way to more complex layers later on. It’s a pattern that creates a well-rounded song and indeed a well-rounded album. Honestly, it’s the perfect escape from what ails you thanks to Othiel’s love of emo and their exquisite musicianship. Penultimate song ‘Canaries’ sounds like it’s being controlled by a click-track early on but fear not as it’s just their precise drumming, which backs up even classier guitar/bass work and great vocals that add so much body to this release.

Closing out with the title-track ‘World’s Fastest Car’, Othiel give themselves space one again to allow their epic and expansive side to shine through, as if it wasn’t bright enough already! This album provides the perfect excuse to shut out the noise around you. Othiel are mature well beyond their years as a band, showing that they’re destined for the highest echelons of the current screamo rostrum.

As this release is sold out on CD format, the only way you can hear it right now is by streaming and/or purchasing it as a digital download via the ZBR bandcamp page below:-

Othiel Instagram - @othiel_ca

Zegema Beach Records - @zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Amenra - De Toorn

Labels: Relapse Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 28 Mar 2025

Tracklist:

1. Heden

2. De Toorn (Talisman)

Earlier this year Belgian post-metal/extreme metal band Amenra released two EPs via Relapse Records, called De Toorn and With Fang And Claw. Both EPs look back at their career to date while also looking forwards to their future as a band. Over recent years they have become one of the most admired/revered acts in extreme music and this November, they'll be touring the UK and Europe around their much anticipated performance at Damnation Festival in Manchester.

The weight of life that sits heavy on our shoulders can sometimes become too much. With economic, personal and technological pressures (AI and social media being two prominent examples); it’s hard to switch off and appreciate the beauty, and humanity that surrounds us. This week is about doing just that for me and after a day filled with lazy solitude, being surrounded by heaviness is perfect.

Opening De Toorn with ‘Heden’, which builds very slowly from a quiet percussive beginning, the stirring musicianship of Amenra comes to life. The spoken-word lyrics are sparse yet striking, the instrumentation clear and spacial. It allows for self-inward reflection without it being sign-posted, and it shows what a band can do without dissonance or feedback ruling the recording, Obviously, this wouldn’t be an Amenra release without that heaviness and they wait until the song’s final quarter to unleash it. It’s a shock to the system in a way but also extremely cathartic and cleansing too.

Second track ‘De Toorn (Talisman)’ follows in very much the same form. Not as slow building but not immediate either. Subtle percussion and bass grow alongside melodic guitar, and more spoken-word vocals/choral ambience; though the music itself doesn’t build as expected. I think that’s kind of the point here, as nothing should be expected or be predictable in life. Amenra take that thought process by the hand and deliver another crescendo-like ending. 

Ultimately, this EP will fill you with all kinds of emotions. Amenra have crafted something truly beautiful here and a live setting is the best place to experience it, if you’re lucky enough to be able to catch one of their up-coming shows.

You can stream the EP digitally and buy it on all physical formats below:-

You can also buy physical copies directly from Relapse Records here - https://www.relapse.com/collections/new-releases

Amenra - https://www.facebook.com/churchofra

Relapse Records - https://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords

Down The Rabbit Hole #1: Floscule (Ukrainian Black Metal)

Earlier this year I reflected on where to take this blog. Reviewing music has been my bread and butter for a long time now but I feel it has taken away from why I started this blog in the first place. It was a tool to discover new bands and explore far-flung music scenes, thanks in large to the Internet. I'm constantly discovering new bands and releases but I feel that (through time and the burden of pressure I've put on myself), I haven't been able to appreciate and immerse myself in the way I should have.

I have decided that now is the time to change that, subtly. Picking a starting point has been hard but I have finally found one. On this sticky summer evening in the UK, I bring you an introduction to Ukrainian black metal band Floscule. Members play or have previously played in bands including White Ward, Silvern and Waidelotte amongst many others.

Floscule formed in the Mykolaiv Oblast region of Ukraine in 2022 (according to Metal Archives). They consist of guitarist Serhii Kovalenko, bassist Anton Pelyanskii, Drummer Petro Buday, as well as vocalists Andrii Pechatkin and Vitalii Chelovenko. This line-up was responsible for creating and releasing their debut album Ї in 2024 via the very well-respected German label Vendetta Records.

Forming a band at a time of such turmoil for a country must have been tough but there’s a steadfast resilience that Ukranian bands embody. The cover-art of their debut album highlights only too well the plight that they have been through and continue to face at the hands of a deranged foreign dictator. 

If you’re wondering what they sound like, I’ll try and summarise as best I can. They’re a mix of more traditional crust/black metal and modern melodic/groovy black metal, without venturing into the realms of blackgaze. If you’re not one for the raw, icy black metal championed by Scandinavia, this will be a good half-way house for you.

Alongside wanting to share Floscule with you, I also wanted to use this post to help share emerging online music platform Ampwall. With Spotify becoming somewhat of a cesspit when it comes to supporting emerging bands/artists and Bandcamp upsetting it’s artist base by changing it’s payment methods, Ampwall offers bands/artists a way to grow organically while offering fans a genuine mechanism in which to support them.

You can stream and purchase Ї digitally via Floscule's Ampwall profile here - 

Floscule Linktree - https://linktr.ee/floscule_band