Vast Pyre Premiere Self-Titled Debut in Full; Out Friday
This Friday, Aug. 30, marks the release of Vast Pyre‘s seven-song debut full-length, Vast Pyre. The album is being issued through Argonauta imprint Octopus Rising, and its five-song/50-minute course is a willfully gruesome slog through murky, threatening and obscure doom, with influences from (and not limited to) Electric Wizard, Slomatics, Conan and Venom coming together in a hybrid extremity that’s stinkface-heavy and captured raw in a way that feels as much about aesthetic as budget. Nasty stuff, and there are plenty of times where the duo of drummer/vocalist Ch. Wallstein and guitarist A. Först toe the line between doom and filthier sludge, especially tonally — I’m not saying it’s the guitar tone being depicted as giant statues of dead hooded figures in the cover art, but I’m not not saying it either — but Wallstein‘s vocals reside largely in a post-Jus Oborn drawl when not veering into more cave-metal barks in “Cataleptic,” and that gives even the meganodding chug of “Revelation” as it approaches its midpoint its own context.
With each track between nine and 11 minutes long, Vast Pyre come across as purposeful in how they’ve constructed the songs, whether that’s lead cut “Focus Deceased” welcoming listeners with harsher vocal gnash and a tsunami of distortion early on or the dark minimalism in the intro of closer “The Argent Tomb” leading to a wah parade likewise dark, dank and doomed, with no shortage of rumble for something that doesn’t actually feature bass.
“Revelation” spaces out in the midsection that follows that chug, and “Cataleptic” emerges as the most active piece of Vast Pyre in terms of tempo and Wallstein‘s drums — at least for most of it — but between the vocal changes and the malleable lead guitar donated to the cause by J.-P. Peter, mellow and psychedelia-adjacent in topping the second-half build of “Eternal Funeral,” cutting through the crescendo of “Focus Deceased” or twisting shred before the next grumbling verse of “Cataleptic” starts around eight minutes in, there’s scope as well as bludgeon to what Vast Pyre are doing, even if what they’re conveying is monotony. I haven’t seen a lyric sheet, but it’s probably safe to assume “Eternal Funeral” isn’t about puppy snuggles, and the corresponding impression throughout the record is rot-stoner metal with a pointedly doomed outlook.
They’re clearly aware of genre, but not without an individual take on it either, which particularly as this is their first album helps enrich the experience overall. Also not to be discounted is what the lead guitar brings to the mix, whether that’s emphasizing the mellow creeper malevolence of “Revelation” or riding the coursing groove that takes hold as “The Argent Tomb” pushes to the record’s finish, but it’s not the only element working with a nascent sense of variety in terms of approach, however much the entirety of the release can feel monolithic on first listen in terms of mood and extremity.
Some of that impression is born out of the atmosphere that pervades, yes, in the quieter stretches like that of “Revelation” — and much to Vast Pyre‘s credit, they avoid the trap of post-metallic loud/quiet tradeoffs while keeping their transitions fluid — but also from the heaviest and most consuming moments. Repetition-born hypnosis is a factor, but while the songs are on the longer end of consideration, there is no lack of movement within and between them, loping as it may be.
Coupled with a balance between the claustrophobic and spacious, tonal largesse and rawer presentation, Vast Pyre holds up to as much volume as one might to give it, and if you’ve got headphones ready, be prepared for a downgrade in your general sense of wellbeing. But if you can hang with it, the crypt-lurch offers grim reward in its density, churn and willingness to depart in brooding contemplation. I’m not taking anything away from Germany’s long history in doom, but the record is so miserable you’d almost swear it was British. That’s intended as a compliment, mind you.
Don’t expect a lot of hype here. As much as Vast Pyre might play toward the-most-of-the-thing in their voluminous ethic, their self-titled is a work of extremity and ready to alienate as much as engross. This is part of the appeal, ultimately — if it was for everyone, it would be pop — and something in which Först, Wallstein and even Peter seem to revel. If you think you’re up for joining them in that, the album streams in its entirety on the player below, followed by more background from the PR wire.
I’m not sure if “enjoy” is the right word. Whatever equivalent might apply, do that:
Vast Pyre, Vast Pyre album premiere
German stoner/doom band VAST PYRE will release their highly anticipated self-titled debut full-length album on August 30th via Octopus Rising!
The album tracklisting:
1. Focus Deceased (9:24)
2. Cataleptic (10:26)
3. Revelation (10:00)
4. Eternal Funeral (9:18)
5. The Argent Tomb (11:26)
In the end of 2021 Försti (guitar) and Wally (drums, vocals) were in the mood and got together to jam some Stoner/Doom tunes from Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath, Sleep etc. and hanging out from time to time. Genre-specific, they knew what they wanted. After some sessions and finding the right sound, they concentrated on writing their own songs – a few ideas got discarded. Bit by bit, they extended their backline/equipment in the rehearsal room, because they needed to add more low-end to the guitar. In the end, there was a huge backline that drove their sound and they decided to not put in any bass-guitar as an instrument separately: they just wanted to make “guitar-only” music. Later, their friend Jonny (lead guitar) joined the band at the end of 2022. Henceforth, the songs were rearranged and fine tuned. In August 2023 Vast Pyre opened for the Festival “Burgbrand Open Air” and shared the stage with bands like EREMIT and INDIAN NIGHTMARE, to name just a few. That should be the only concert they played that year, because first they wanted to record/mix their stuff, what they eventually did from November 2023 to February this year.
VAST PYRE is:
Ch. Wallstein – Vocals/Drums
A. Först – Guitar
All Lead Guitar Arrangements by J.-P. Peter
Argonauta Records on Instagram
Tags: Argonauta Records, Eisenach, Germany, Octopus Rising, self-titled, Vast Pyre, Vast Pyre Self-titled
