ALBUM REVIEW: Abysmos – Pylar

PYLAR release Abysmos, the second part of a trilogy of albums wherein the collective seek to sew uncertainty and delve deep into a transcendent state. The record is a strange one, not so much because of its subject matter, as that in itself feels very interpretive. It’s strange because of the structure and the intention. There are only four tracks, but with the first and third spanning over 15 minutes each, it’s around the same length as any regular record. What’s strange about the free form nature of the songs is the way they’re both cinematic and yet inane. There’s an absurdity and an abhorrent quality to the tormented, sonic chaos that is Abysmos. Many won’t be swayed into its abstract mindset and it will simply feel like especially evocative background music.

The shorter two tracks of the record are obviously more concise than the longer ones, but work in complete conjunction with the collective mindset of the album. A kind of electronica that bubbles up in Fervor Espiral is interesting and unusual for what you’d expect in occult music. The free form style that takes the majority of the track’s runtime is stuck to religiously; a trail of droning ambiences, erratic drumming and cymbal tapping, and various voices all overlap in ways that aim to be uncomplimentary.

Pasado Profundo has the most horror film feel to it, with far away echoes of screams and a mounting array of ghoulish sounds and voices bobbing around the track. Rustles and whistles, metallic noises, and dripping, distorted drones all meld together to make a well-seasoned feast of hellish delights.

There’s all manner of wailing and incantation calling throughout the first mammoth track La Caida (Descenso Definitivo A Traves De Las Profundidades Mayores) which translates roughly to The Fall (Ultimate Descent Through The Greater Depths). There’s a large portion of this record, through these longer songs especially, that is ambient and wistful. Strings rise and fall in strange arrangements and configurations; horns accompany each other in droning rumbles; voices sweep around the soundscape in unsettling whispers. Where the music begins to rise together draws you into the hope of something more familiar, but often dissipates and leaves you at PYLAR’s mercy.

Clashing chords and notes waver in the intro of Crepitación Solar, but the most musical sounding track lies here, where a short consistency of guitar chords and drums marry together for a brief time. Things become more deranged and unpredictable, irregular beats and chants rising and falling out of favour. Notes and ideas channel in and then begin to drag, and a very doom influence takes the dreary hymn down into ever darker depths. The whole thing can feel like it’s weighing on you, from the sheer volume of moments within the track, to the emotional pull in to some deprived and nonsensical mindsets. It can be pretty unsettling, but the gratification when the traditionally ‘band-orientated’ music comes into full play towards the end of the track is pretty rewarding.

This is definitely not a record for all, not even for some general metal fans. However, there is a sort of occult, drone driven mind that will revel in all the layers the PYLAR have put into Abysmos. The chaos of freeform hymns and the constant rise and fall of the ever-changing noise conjures a feeling of despair and unsettles the mind. If that’s what you’re looking for, this might be for you.

Rating: 6/10

Abysmos is set for release on March 4th via Humo Internacional.

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