Pyrrhon
The debut EP from New York-based progressive death metallers Pyrrhon — Fever Kingdoms — is a five-track beast that snarls and writhes like Death crossed with Origin, if you can imagine that. It’s evil, sinister and — dare I say it — impressive insomuch as it’s something innovative for a genre where (at least lately) everything’s been sounding like a slightly sped-up derivative of some bullshit that came out the previous week. The disc drops October 26.
Sadly, Pyrrhon’s story is one that’s all too common for the indie death metal scene. They recorded Fever Kingdoms more than a year ago. Their Path Less Traveled label mates Flourishing, says Pyrrhon frontman Doug Moore, just released a record they tracked back in 2005.
“When you’re in a small band that doesn’t have much of a name, even just getting your music released can often take years,” Moore — who cites Pig Destroyer as a major influence — tells Gun Shy Assassin. “After we recorded the EP, we were shopping it around and trying to get someone to pick it up. It was supposed to be out in August but our label is a one-man operation.” The label boss’ son fell ill, and since the label’s funded out of pocket, the record was bumped back.
“It’s one of those things where, its frustrating that we recorded it so long ago but…how can I chew this dude out for trying to take care of his kid. I’m not that much of an asshole.”
The band will also be touring regionally this fall once the EP surfaces. But don’t consider the EP an accurate representation of where these young metal dudes are today. In fact, they’ve since found a new bassist and have material written for a full length they’ll be putting to tape early next year — more progressive and “weirder” than the stuff on the EP; they’re mulling producers for the LP at the moment, but would love to secure Colin Marston of Krallice and Dysrhythmia fame for the gig.
“We’re just hunkering down in the practice space, refining the new songs so we can hit the studio and bang it out,” Moore proclaims. “I am really proud of how that EP came out but its not really what we’re dong anymore. “By my standards, its pretty straight-forward death metal. Its weird but not super weird. The stuff we’re doing now is way weirder. It’s a lot noisier; it’s a lot more groove-oriented, but it’s a prog groove. The record’s going to be substantially different than the EP.”
Like most bands their age, Pyrrhon’s touring has been restricted largely to the East Coast because most of the dudes are in college. At 22, Moore is one of the elders in the group; he writes for the website MetalReview.com.
So what about chicks? Moore says being in Pyrrhon isn’t getting him Led Zeppelin level ‘tang at all because, they’re a death metal band. But he is impressed with the shift these last five years in the level of chick who he sees out at shows.
Pyrrhon
“Metal has gradually gotten to be much cooler, much more socially accessible, and much more accessible to women. Look, death and black metal is thought of as being dude central. No girl would ever show her face at a show because she would get relentlessly hit on. But more and more — even at like really grimy underground death and grindcore shows — I see lots of girls which I think is awesome because, really, who wants to look at dudes all the time. Plus, this genre will be improved by having more people involved in it, especially more women because they haven’t had much of a voice in the past.”
The perfect thing to say to the metal ladies to get that ‘tang. Way to go, Doug — and everybody, check out the forthcoming EP when it drops in October.
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