Pyres YUN CD Review
Canadian Sludge Metal band, Pyres released their debut “Year of Sleep” in 2013 and then dropped off the face of the earth. Unbeknownst to the world it was due to personal tragedy that I won’t repeat, so the band’s absence has been understandable. Thankfully, the band have now returned with a new album entitled “YUN”.
The last time we heard from the band they weren’t quite as polished, but 12 years in between releases does a lot for a band – they had time to get it right, explore and really grow into the songs here. On “YUN” the band shows more of their Progressive influences, it’s very similar to early Mastodon albums. It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a few moments on the album where I hear some Grunge influences ala Soundgarden/AIC. Vocally, the album is a bit all over the place, there’s clean and harsh vocals sprinkled throughout, it kind of reminds me of Pallbearer in certain spots. There’s also a heaping helping of twin guitar harmonies too and that’s never a bad thing. The production/recording of the album is done well, having been produced by Greg Dawson who’s also produced bands like Olde and Sons of Otis. Coincidentally, I just listened to one of my Olde CDS on the way to work a few days last week. The mastering was handled by Brad Boatright, he’s mastered efforts by Sleep, C.O.C. and YOB.
Overall, the album ticks all the right boxes for a Progressive Sludge Metal effort, it’s fantastic musically but it doesn’t bulldoze the senses and get too heavy for its own good. It’s not a knuckledragger, this is an album for the thinking man, it’s loaded with heartfelt lyrics that ponder some deep thoughts.
Standout tracks – “Old Dogs”, “Some, Not All, Came Back”, “A Depth Charge in A Dead Sea”.