By: James Rivers<\/p>\n
Album Name: Abscess Time<\/span><\/p>\n By: Pyrrhon<\/span><\/p>\n Release Date: June 26, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n Genre: Technical Death Metal\/Avant-Garde Metal\/Noise Metal<\/span><\/p>\n Related Artists: Today Is the Day, Gorguts, Gorgoroth, Mr. Bungle, Celtic Frost, Neurosis, Car Bomb, Melvins<\/span><\/p>\n Rating: 10\/10<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAbscess Time\u201d by Pyrrhon is the latest release from the New York based experimental\/technical death metal band.\u00a0 It features many of the same traits and traditions of normal death metal but adds its own bizarre and mind-boggling take on it.\u00a0 It is a strong album from start to finish and will leave listeners fascinated by what they just heard.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The title track begins the album in dramatic fashion.\u00a0 As the guitars whine over slow and doomy drums, deep guttural vocals move from ear to ear.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like an old lawn mower slowly starting up after years in the garage.\u00a0 The track takes on a brooding and unnerving atmosphere that is sure to let anyone know that this isn\u2019t a death metal album by the numbers.\u00a0 A frequent trait on this album that is unsettling and atmospheric appears on this track.\u00a0 The band gravitates towards these guitar harmonies and string bends that make the guitars squeal like they\u2019re out-of-tune.\u00a0 These bizarre noises almost make the song sound like it\u2019s coming apart at the seams.\u00a0 It is intense, dramatic, and nerve rattling.\u00a0 It is the perfect way to demonstrate what\u2019s to come on the album.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This track is followed by the song, \u201cDown At Liberty Ashes.\u201d\u00a0 The song begins with an amusing sample before launching into a faster tempo than the first song.\u00a0 This feels more in line with traditional death metal but never comes across as just that.\u00a0 It always has this weird edge to it that makes it stand out.\u00a0 Some of the mathy elements of the band\u2019s early days pop up here that are reminiscent of a song like \u201cSidewinder\u201d by Today Is the Day.\u00a0 It is a similar brand of chaotic and I would not be surprised if Today Is the Day were an influence on the band.\u00a0 The song marches on through ever shifting heavy parts before ending with a really heavy\/sludgy breakdown where the guitars sound like they\u2019re irreparably out-of-tune.\u00a0 This track is every bit heavy and familiar as it is weird.\u00a0 It is a kind of creative genius that every band should strive for.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first of three long epic tracks is \u201cThe Lean Years.\u201d\u00a0 This song maintains the sludgy elements of the previous songs in a very headbangable way.\u00a0 It has some cool riff squeals that sound like something from Gorguts.\u00a0 The song effortlessly moves between mid-pace groove and mathy doom.\u00a0 This song in particular really makes the guitars feel less like a primary focus and more like a tool for atmosphere.\u00a0 The vocals on this track sound horrific in the best possible way.\u00a0 At one point, the guitars drop into the background with the vocals and drums up front in the mix.\u00a0 It creates this really unnerving sound and maintains the unsettling aspect of the album\u2019s music thus far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The song, \u201cAnother Day in Paradise,\u201d starts off with one of the best samples I\u2019ve ever heard.\u00a0 It\u2019s taken from the 1970s satirical black comedy film, \u201cNetwork.\u201d\u00a0 It is perfectly cut off by a really cool drum fill to get the song going.\u00a0 The song maintains the sludgy\/death aspect of their sound but it\u2019s clear that they\u2019re taking some notes from their mathcore roots.\u00a0 The gutturals on this song are disgustingly deep and never cease to steal attention when they pop up.\u00a0 The song feels very dense and frantic while miraculously feeling somewhat familiar for the death metal genre.\u00a0 The spaced out picking towards the end is delectably unpleasant and a perfect way to end such a bizarre song.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The second of the long tracks is \u201cThe Cost of Living.\u201d\u00a0 This song begins with these ominous and dramatic guitars.\u00a0 The song adds to this creepy feeling when the vocals come in.\u00a0 The vocals are very raspy and ugly, in a similar vein to Gorgoroth\u2019s Hat.\u00a0 The track inches along with a hypnotizing doom feel.\u00a0 In a way, this track lets you take a breath while still holding your breath for what comes next.\u00a0 Every once in a while, the track begins to pick up some steam but then quickly takes the foot off the pedal.\u00a0 The guitars here sound like they\u2019re battling for real estate and it all ends when it moves into a fast, more traditional sounding death metal section.\u00a0 This song is like an immense atmosphere chasm on the album.\u00a0 It\u2019s a hurdle to get past, but it makes for quite the memorable adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What follows is the less serious track, \u201cOverwinding.\u201d\u00a0 This track is smothered with a humorous sample from the Tim Robbins film, \u201cThe Hudsucker Proxy.\u201d\u00a0 While it is a bit more of a funny track, it still maintains its deathly serious technical skill and prowess.\u00a0 The track can best be described as tense and dense.\u00a0 It has a lot of busyness moving under the sample and has a real Avant-Garde\/free form feel to it.\u00a0 It\u2019s sort of all over the place in a good Avant-Garde way, like \u201cCarry Stress in the Jaw\u201d by Mr. Bungle.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another creepy track from the album is \u201cSolastalgia.\u201d\u00a0 This song is very atmosphere heavy and feels very eerie.\u00a0 The vocals sound downright haunting here and the song really encapsulates the discomforting atmosphere of the album.\u00a0 The best comparison I could make is that it sounds like one of those atmospheric tracks Celtic Frost would do, such as \u201cDanse Macabre\u201d or \u201cTears in a Prophet\u2019s Dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This album also features some brief one-to-two-minute tracks sprinkled throughout the album.\u00a0 The first of these is \u201cTeuchnikskreis\u201d which has a more normal death metal sound with really deep gutturals.\u00a0 But it has the intensity of a hardcore song.\u00a0 Another of these brief tracks is \u201cHuman Capital.\u201d\u00a0 This song has a sludgy mid-paced groove that almost sounds like Neurosis.\u00a0 This song also features traditional death metal elements, but it also changes tempos multiple times.\u00a0 Like Car Bomb, this makes it hard to headbang but always keeps you on the edge of your seat.\u00a0 These two tracks really help to keep the album feeling like a death metal album, but the band always throws a twist to keep things fresh.\u00a0 That way the album feels adventurous without being so far out in left field that nobody understands it.\u00a0 The last of these brief tracks is \u201cCornered Animal.\u201d\u00a0 This track has a bone chilling scream to kick off the song and is groovy and fast.\u00a0 On this song, the band plays well with dynamics and the drums really compliment the vocals.\u00a0 The end of the song appropriately features deep panting and chaos to convey how a cornered animal might feel.\u00a0 It\u2019s definitely a highlight of the album and calling it just an aggressive track understates every intricacy that goes into it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the most intriguing songs on the album is \u201cState of Nature.\u201d\u00a0 This moves with a slow Melvins-esque groove.\u00a0 For the most part, this song does not rely on the guitars except for some feedback effects.\u00a0 This song is led by the bass, drums, and vocals.\u00a0 It\u2019s surprisingly one of the most straightforward songs on the album despite some of its bizarre choices.\u00a0 As the screams lash out at the end, it reminds the listener that the album\u2019s not over yet.\u00a0 This song does an effective job of building some tension and leaves the listener wondering what the hell will the last song sound like.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The final song is \u201cRat King Lifecycle.\u201d\u00a0 This track displays a lot of the elements that characterize this album.\u00a0 One of the main things that\u2019s true of the album that\u2019s on full display here is that it always feels moving.\u00a0 The song never stagnates or stays in one place too long.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s weaving in and out of math sections, blast beats, or doom\/sludge grooves, it feels focused in its restlessness.\u00a0 It\u2019s chaotic and dense and features many of the elements that define this album\u2019s sound.\u00a0 There\u2019s a really cool section towards the end where the drums and vocals are the only things there and the guitars come in and emphasize particular parts.\u00a0 In the end, the guitars fade out while the drums reverberate, and the vocals hold on for dear life.\u00a0 The very final moments of this album almost sound like a plane plummeting down to earth.\u00a0 It is a brutal and captivating way to end one of the most ambitious death metal albums I\u2019ve ever heard.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On this album, Pyrrhon displays their command of their instruments as well as their craft.\u00a0 These songs have a lot of moving parts and yet even at its weirdest, the band feels very much in control.\u00a0 This is a strong contender for album of the year and a truly unforgiving listening experience.\u00a0 This band oozes with creativity and evolution.\u00a0 Most bands would dream to have an album this daring and masterfully crafted.\u00a0 Abscess Time is one of those albums that will either be extremely important and influential to countless bands in the future or it will be a hidden gem that die-hard metalheads will gush over.\u00a0 Pyrrhon are clearly influenced by particular bands but do not sound like any of their influences.\u00a0 That is the mark of a truly great band.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: James Rivers Album Name: Abscess Time By: Pyrrhon Release Date: June 26, 2020 Genre: Technical Death Metal\/Avant-Garde Metal\/Noise Metal Related Artists: Today Is the Day, Gorguts, Gorgoroth, Mr. Bungle, Celtic Frost, Neurosis, Car Bomb, Melvins Rating: 10\/10 \u201cAbscess Time\u201d by Pyrrhon is the latest release from the New York based experimental\/technical death metal 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