Thursday, August 2, 2012

PYLON: "The Harrowing Of Hell"

Rating: RR
Label: Quam Libet 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

We haven't been too kind to Pylon in previous reviews. Well, actually. I kind of enjoy the music and found their lead singer to be extremely boring. Words and phrases such as 'major turd' and 'as much fun as watching wet paint dry' may or may not have been visable on your PC screen in the past. For the brand new 'The Harrowing Of Hell' album, Andy La Morte has joined the now former power trio as second guitarist and there's a slightly new type of harmonies on display.

Vocalist/guitarist Matt Brand uses his new freedom from guitar-playing and sings against the utterly doomy guitar riffs, so there's a new combination of Pylon melodies in the works. The slow monolithic sound will however still remind you of Saint Vitus, Count Raven, Candlemass, and any other Sabbath-ish doom and gloom act of the past. But here you can also find a track such as, "Psalm 139a", which at times may have you thinking about the early Mercyful Fate albums.

It's already their fifth album and "The Harrowing of Hell" will be released in a limited edition on vinyl only (where's my vinyl copy then?). The production is very eighties and dated (I'm sure that's the way they like it) and I can't say that I've learned to appreciate the vocals of Mister Brand. This could have been a fantastic doom platter with a singer like Messiah of Candlemass fame upfront and in the studio. The tracks featuring guest vocalist Jordan Cutajar (Nomad Son) is a step in the right direction, and the slow and even more doomy version of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" is more fun than I could ever dream of. Nearly the perfect doom cover tune actually.
www.pylon-doom.net

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