ALBUM REVIEW: Forever Burning – Denouncement Pyre

DENOUNCEMENT PYRE are back on a brand new label with their fourth record, Forever Burning. With three LPs already under their belts, the Melbourne-based black/death foursome have joined Agonia Records to unleash hellfire upon the world once more. Thus ends the longest gap in their career to date, coming six years after their last full-length Black Sun Unbound. The good news is they’ve picked up right where they left off. The better news is that this may be their most fully realised release to date.

Exploding out of the gates with the title track, Forever Burning instantly evokes old school death metal. Truth be told, the opening riff almost feels closer to thrash than straight death metal, but crackling, gurgled vocals lend a distinctly blackened edge to their sound. When the band gets into full furious force in the final third, with every member playing as fast and hard as they can, it’s a terrifyingly beautiful thing to behold. What’s even more impressive is that they remain at that level for almost the entirety of the record; the likes of Darkness In The Eyes Of Apophis and Hung Like Swine go all out from the off. Accented with whammy bar dives and frenetic riffs, DENOUNCEMENT PYRE make clear their intentions to make their black/death chaos heard around the world.

There is an inescapable dirge of spite and attitude that hangs over Forever Burning, which will come as no surprise once you know that the record represents “A homage to the triumph and tribulations of those who walk the path of fire.” The quote in the press release continues: “With the limitations of the mundane world fiercely aligned against us, we charge forth, unwavering, unbound“. It seems slightly at odds then that the whole band opts for an element of anonymity (as many bands of their ilk are wont to do), simply going by the initials D (vocals/guitar), T (guitar), R (bass/backing vocals) and L (drums). Nevertheless, these pseudonyms seem to have given rise to an unflinching and uncompromising sound that aims to echo through the annals of time to celebrate the free thinkers who explore the paths less trodden.

For the most part, DENOUNCEMENT PYRE seem to have ditched a lot of the bleaker, more atmospheric moments that permeated their last record in favour of all out aural fury. But it does creep back into album closer Sunder The Living Temple and actually gives their sound that extra something that you may not realise you’re missing until you hear it. Opening with what sounds like a doom-inspired sludgy riff and building steadily, it takes a good 90 seconds or so to start to reach the tempo and vengeance of the rest of the album. They even work in a minute of funeral doom ambience before one final explosion of black/death brings Forever Burning to its final destination.

Forever Burning is a well-made and fleshed out death metal record that has tremendously merged elements from across the extreme metal landscape. And although this runs just a little long in the tooth given how stringently they stick to a central sound, it’s done well enough that this isn’t one to be cast to the shelf. Fans of black/death will find a lot to love, and it makes a fantastic taster for those who are curious about the genre. Worth a listen though, whatever your experience to this point.

Rating: 7/10

Forever Burning is set for release on June 17th via Agonia Records.

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