EP REVIEW: Peaks of Eternal Light – Pyre of Descent

Ahh, Germany. Home to efficiency, great beer, beach towels and some of the most brilliant metal to ever grace the planet. Not that you’ll find it with PYRE OF DESCENT. The Berlin trio describe themselves as ‘dark rock’, although there are plenty of other genres they could fall into, which is something one finds after listening to brand new EP Peaks of Eternal Light, released last month  and available now via all good streaming platforms.

As it’s described as an EP then it will be treated as such, but with four songs clocking in at thirty and a half minutes, it’s longer than some full-length albums out there. Nevertheless, it starts off well – Fyre has a steady, expansive opening that picks up pace as the full band kicks in, with classic NWOBHM overtones. The guitar work from the mysterious Dave S and Julia N is also very good indeed, particularly the trade-off in solos as the band progress. The production is pretty raw, all things considered, but if it were too polished then PYRE OF DESCENT might feel too safe as an outfit, and this certainly doesn’t. Having Dave S‘s vocals low in the mix is also a good move, adding just that further layer of intrigue to proceedings.

Unfortunately, this is the peak of the EP – the other three tracks have their moments, but none feel particularly satisfying. Eyes of the Blind is solid enough, but if METALLICA‘s lawyers get wind of the opening riff, they might have a few words to say regarding infringement. It doesn’t last the whole song, however as the track develops it gets more and more into SABBATH territory. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wearing influences on your sleeve, but there’s certainly a fine line before it sounds like a blatant rip off. As for the remaining two tracks – † and the ten-minute To See Into the Dark (VI Wheel), there is a definite change of pace as PYRE OF DESCENT become low and rumbling and both tracks simmer along, but neither really go anywhere until the final three minutes of the latter, which by then feels too little too late. Being largely instrumental doesn’t quite pay off either; if you’re going to do that, you need to hold the listener’s attention, and sadly this isn’t something that occurs.

Let it be known that this isn’t a terrible EP – there are certainly moments here which showcase a good deal of potential that PYRE OF DESCENT hold within their ranks and Peaks of Eternal Light is a good staring block. However, if they’re to push forward, they need to be a little more original and engaging with their music before they fade into obscurity.

Rating: 6/10

Peaks of Eternal Light is out now via Terror From Hell Records. 

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