Pyre - Where Obscurity Awaits (2025)

Providing a journey back in time to the days of 90’s Death Metal, today we have Russia’s Pyre and their crushing “Where Obscurity Awaits”. Blending elements from bands like Grave, (old) Hypocrisy, Suffocation, Incantation, etc., this release unleashes over 35 minutes of superbly crafted DM filled with chugging riffs, intense guitar leads and crafty vocals. If you are a fan of the original roots of this genre, this release brings back those memories.

Making a statement with the pummeling album title track, we got a chill down our spines as memories of Centinex and Grave’s earlier stuff quickly came to mind. The band’s sound is timeless and yet clean, with a certain modern edge. As the band levels through tracks like “From the Stygian Depths”, “Domains of the Nameless Rites”, and “Murderous Transcendence”, the band showcases both songwriting skills and technical chops as the guitar work is catchy and engaging while masterfully incorporating crafty drumming and tempo changes.

Our favorite track in this release is the crunchy “Writhing Souls”, which has a Grave-meets-Suffocation vibe as it unleashes harsh screams and furious riffs. Being more than one-dimensional, the band showcases some vicious Thrash roots in the hellish “Chanting Ancient Incantations”, and its crazy guitar leads. Going out with a bang, “Prognostic of the Apocalypse” is a masterful closer thanks to its twin guitar onslaughts and punchy bass guitar line.

As a whole, “Where Obscurity Awaits” is one solid Death Metal release that will bring back time while still sounding relevant and powerful. This Russian outfit delivers waves of crafty and chuggy guitar work and its very well framed by a pulsating drumming track and proficient vocals. If you are ready for a trip down memory lane into the depths of early Death Metal, but don’t want to compromise on production values, this release will satisfy that craving, and then some.

Label: Osmose Productions

Release: January 31st, 2025

Genre: Death Metal

Country: Russia