That iconic style of Southern hardcore-laced sludge has finally made its way north of the border, and I do not mean the Mason-Dixon line. Toronto is a major global cultural center, so no surprise that they're in tune with what's going in every Dixie backwash throughout the Deep South.
Nonetheless, it's always a bit eye opening when this shit makes it to a legit Alpha World City, the slow burn frustration that is the substrate of the form evoking small town defeatism more so than metropolitan revolution, and yet Pyres has got the vibe down pat: at nearly 10 minutes, "Year of Sleep" takes its time building rage from a mild simmer to a full blown boil without letting any of the seams show.
These guys also know that it's all too easy to get stuck in a midtempo rut no matter how good your catalog of riffs, so they follow up that album centerpiece with something like "Atlas Cast No Shadow", a relatively upbeat barnstormer pieced around anthemic dual-guitars and seastorm percussion.
This is metal that's born and bred in the pit, never committed to wax until its been properly battle tested by hundreds of headbangers with everything to give and nothing to lose.
CD & digital at pyresburn.com or vinyl through Granite House Records
Stream album in full over at Decibel.
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