Pilgrim, II: Void Worship: March of the Paladin

The 2012 debut from Rhode Island’s Pilgrim, Misery Wizard, seemed to come out of nowhere and “happen” very fast. A young trio from Providence, they released a demo in 2011, a split with Boston’s Ice Dragon, and were signed to Alan Averill of Primordial‘s Poison Tongue Records, an imprint of Metal Blade. With that considerable endorsement and a collection of churning melancholies rife with doomly atmospheres and ambient space, Misery Wizard made a splash and Pilgrim did right in setting about almost immediately justifying it with extensive touring work. The hype abated as it does when new releases aren’t new anymore, but Pilgrim never strayed too far from public consciousness, jumping from Poison Tongue to Metal Blade proper as a result of their success for the release of their sophomore outing, II: Void Worship, an album that continues the band’s penchant for AD&D-worthy dark tales (see “In the Presence of Evil,” “The Paladin”), huge tones and pounding, slow grooves. From the beginning of the post-“Intro” opener “Master’s Chamber” (also the longest track at 10:36; semi-immediate points), guitarist/vocalist Jon “The Wizard” Rossi proves a conjuror worthy of any classic cave metal comparison you might want to put him against, successor to some of Karl Simon‘s woefulness as heard on the last The Gates of Slumber album, but bringing his own emotionality to it as well, particularly on the highlight and closer “Away from Here,” which seems to depart some from the epic-stories metaphor methodology that has become lyrical modus operandi for Pilgrim in favor of a more down-to-earth, straightforward take.

A major difference between II: Void Worship and its predecessor is that in the interim the band has parted ways with bassist Eric “Count Elric” Dittrich. Ice Dragon‘s Brad Richardson has been taking on the role live, but I’m not sure who’s on the album with Rossi and drummer Cave “Krolg Splinterfist, Slayer of Men” Johnson. If a marked personnel shift as it is anytime a trio loses a member, Pilgrim‘s sound remains large and encompassing on the eight songs/44 minutes of the new record. They recorded in (scenic) Jersey City, NJ, with Mike Moebius at Moonlight Mile Recording, and even on “The Paladin” — which is among the faster riffs II: Void Worship has on offer — a sense of physical space is maintained in the songs and the guitar and bass both come through with more crunch than on Misery Wizard, closer to the band’s live sound. Not much of a surprise there given the road time Pilgrim has put in since their debut, the increase in confidence of the vocals on “The Paladin” likewise makes sense in the context of their development as a stage presence. Backing the longer “Master’s Chamber,” “The Paladin” and the subsequent “Arcane Sanctum” show a still-burgeoning dynamic at work, the latter starting a gradual linear build that’s as effective in its nod as it is running counter to the song before, while still flowing easily from it, capping side A with a melancholy, somewhat exploratory feel. Side B opens with the gloriously churning, extra-huge “In the Presence of Evil,” setting up two extended pieces — the title-track (8:52) and “Away from Here” (9:39) — and though like “Arcane Sanctum,” “In the Presence of Evil” is also instrumental, the energy infused into the plod makes it a standout all the same.

Make no mistake: Whatever traction Pilgrim may have gained in the larger sphere of heavy metal, II: Void Worship is doom — by doomers, for doomers. When most in its element, as on the title cut, it is a lumbering, hulking beast of an album, and Pilgrim remain a work in progress. An emerging flair for the grandiose comes on with “Void Worship,” which flows directly from “In the Presence of Evil,” and Rossi‘s beauty-in-darkness guitar leads quickly answer any questions about why they chose it for the title of the album, and like the most effective of genre works, it’s the moments where Rossi and Johnson bring their sonic personality most to bear throughout that distinguish it, whether it’s the thunder they harness in the abyss of “Void Worship” itself or the earlier rush of “The Paladin.” They are capable of sounding utterly wretched when they want to, and Misery Wizard proved that, but as it should, II: Void Worship acts as a suitable extension of the first album’s ideas to show there’s more to Pilgrim than just that one thing. An interlude, “Dwarven March” — aptly-titled — precedes the arrival of “Away from Here,” transitioning from “Void Worship” with a simple two minutes of riff and crash that fades to silence just before the closer rumbles its own slothing introduction. Again, they close on what makes for their most emotionally resonant note yet, the vocals well suited to longing — the delivery of the title line, multiply layered, is a display in itself of the potential still in Pilgrim for creative growth following this record — though there’s no sonic letup as “Away from Here” reaches its head with bombastic riffing that, contrary to expectation, keeps its grueling tempo.

That Pilgrim resisted the temptation to “rock out” at the end of “Away from Here” and end II: Void Worship on a friendlier note at the sacrifice of the album’s atmosphere I consider further evidence of their sonic cohesion and commitment to aesthetic. Even in their final minute, they make no attempt to say that things will be okay, instead crashing their way into the void they profess to revere and leaving behind only traces of desolate feedback. It’s a fitting end for a band who sound wholly engaged in the process of their own growth, but more than that, it’s righteous in its downtrodden pummel, which one could say as well for II: Void Worship as a whole. Pilgrim by no means sound like they’ve finished progressing, but ultimately, that works to II: Void Worship‘s favor, since like its predecessor, it demonstrates so much potential for calamitous triumphs yet to come.

Pilgrim, “Away from Here” from II: Void Worship (2014)

Pilgrim on Thee Facebooks

Pilgrim at Metal Blade Records

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