This has been an album which has been a long time coming. Recorded in August 2018 with vocals added the following February, it’s been a matter of timing for the quintet from Houston, Texas. Mixed and mastered over two years ago, now is clearly the time for the band’s follow up to 2017’s The Liar Bends Low.
Light is a Barrier is five songs of sludgy goodness, which draw the listener in deep. The opening song “Broken Spire” begins with unsettling effects. A blend of white noise, some distorted and barely distinguishable words and radio in the background all make for an uncomfortable opening which then evolves into an eight-and-a-half-minute wall of sound that swirls and captivates with a series of chord progressions, melodies all served with a fuzziness that combines powerful choruses with crushing heaviness. Jenny Jordan’s vocals capture just the right tone, her soulful tones working in tandem with the straining roars of Sam Waters and Cru Jordan Jones, who both also cover the guitar duties between them.
Second track “Anathema” pushes unpredictable drum patterns into the fray, unconventional time changes cause chaos whilst the riff remains dominant. Its heaviness personified, with a prominent stoner edge. Shades of early Mastodon, elements of Neurosis spring to mind in the jarring “Half Light”, a sludgy soup of a track, with thunderous crashing riffs that are massive and downtuned. The dissonance that echoes through this track is sufficient to cause permanent physical damage if not managed correctly. Halfway through the temperature drops, darkness descends and Pyreship build once more. It’s a bruising track that moves to a stripped back approach before rapidly upping the tempo to intense levels once again.
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Light is A Barrier is a journey that immerses you from start to finish. As you head into “Forest of Spears”, you’re pinned down by a gargantuan riff which threatens to overwhelm. It veers towards the kind of stratospheric intensity that Conan conjure up. Heavier than a bus load of elephants, it’s a bruiser of a track with the engine room of drummer Steve Smith and bassist George Lusito locked in tight to allow the dual guitars to work their magic.
Full of dark, brooding atmosphere, the finale arrives in the shape of “Highborn”, a pulsating and engaging deep throated musical workout which straddles nearly ten-minutes. There are enraged roars, Jordan’s clear vocals and the relentless riffing which slows mid-song to embrace a temporary calm before the tempo is fired up once more. A break for some harmonious guitar work leads to the climax of the track, the pace slowly building to a crescendo of huge proportions. It’s a fiery finish to an album that contains both darkness and light, paints patterns and creates cinematic soundscapes and brings a raw sound that is both epic and triumphant.
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Light is a Barrier is out on 15th April
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