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Pyrexia: Feast of iniquity
08/04/14 || The Duff
You will know Pyrexia for “Sermon of Mockery” in all likelihood, and if you don’t, then think the only band that has ever replicated what Suffocation did on “Effigy of the Forgotten”, masterfully so. “Effigy” was a milestone, and while the style was worked on, no one actually wrote an album equally powerful, with the exact same production, aesthetic with the exception of Pyrexia.
And so in 2013, they recruit one of the big-league drummers and release one of the best, no-frills death metal records in YEARS – while we all dig the crap out of where the brutal death metal scene is taking things, the straight-up styles have vanished with Malevolent Creation, Morbid Angel and Deicide; Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation are reliable, but the only old-school band creating waves at all for me is Immolation and only just at that.
“Feast of Iniquity” is catchy death metal, mixing the classic Bay Area thrash sound with Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel, I should imagine what Dim Mak were striving towards with “The Emergence of Reptilian Altars” but with more diversity. This record is just bordering on technical death metal but never quite tips over, perhaps something a little less challenging than a band like Sweden’s Aeon.
So we are left with something that is visceral, with an exceptional vocal performance from Shute and of course the true gem of this record – Doug Bohn of “Pierced From Within”; this record is certainly a drummer’s album as with the aforementioned Dim Mak record; very clear beats, simultaneously playful and intense but never too much – enunciated, concise, definite, I am just saying the same fucking thing now.
Pyrexia circa-2013 wear their influences on their sleeve as I suppose they always have done, if you want a quick-burst of catchy, fun, blast from the past death metal with a crunchy modern production then “Feast of Iniquity” is for you, and really from a band that sadly has always been overlooked much like Malevolent Creation – when other classic bands are wading through deep waters, this record comes out punching, a breath of fresh air when expectations are low.
That there is some terrible metaphor on my part.
- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: Pyrexia Facebook
- Band
- Chris Basile: guitars, bass
- Eric Shute: vocals
- Doug Bohn: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. The Pendulum
- 02. Infliction
- 03. Death Wish
- 04. Cocoon of Shame
- 05. Cryptic Summoning
- 06. Thy Minion
- 07. Wheel of Impunity
- 08. Panzer Tank Lobotomy
- 09. Born of a Jackal
- 10. The Feast
