Hailing from Berlin, Pyre of Descent are a band that have flown under the radar of this particular scribe, their eponymous 2018 release now being followed by ‘Peaks Of Eternal Light’. A combination of the band name, upbeat album title, and light, trippy opening chords of the first track ‘Fyre’ promising a gentle trip into the realms of psychedelia to the listener. However, after the first soothing minute of pastoral plucking, the rhythm section fires in with the guitar’s plucked chords transforming into an altogether darker riff. This gloomier sound is cemented into place by the growled vocals, barely registering through the instruments, just merging into the ebb and flow of the music. This is no one off either, with follow up ‘Eyes of the Blind’ entering the realms of the Gothic with its slow, slogging start that builds up to tortured vocals set to the beat of a panicked heart. The descent into the realms of the large of hair and white of make-up continues through the six minutes plus of the track as the guitar slows to a meandering jangle.

Next up is ‘+’, (albeit from the sleeve it is meant to be more of a crucifix shape, something I cannot find on my word processor), where a lilting female vocal harmonizes with Dave S. to create an ethereal dreamscape over looping guitars and drum beats heavily redolent of ‘Planet Caravan’, the pace never exceeding a hazy wander. The proceedings are brought to a close by the epically titled and equally epically long ‘To See Into The Dark (VI Wheel)’, a ten minute number that spends nearly the first three quarters flowing like a stream through a shaded wood, soothing with rippling tones, before the volume builds up and the music becomes altogether more dense and turbulent, their rapid speed fading out almost as suddenly to a fading lament.

‘Peaks Of Eternal Light’ is not an album to get the party started, but rather one of dark introspection, and were you to be the sort of person who enjoys a pilgrimage to Whitby, this could be right up your dimly lit street; for this old hippy sat in a tie-dye shirt, not so much, but hey, horses for courses, right?

(6.5/10 Spenny) 

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https://pyreofdescent.bandcamp.com/album/peaks-of-eternal-light