Release Date: November 28th 2025. Record Label: Argonauta Records (Octopus Rising). Formats: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl.
II: Bleak - Tracklisting
1.Begotten
2.Tenebrosity's Path
3.Beneath the Surface
4.The Untold
5.Perdition Fatal
Lineup
Ch. Wallstein – Vocals/Drums
A. Först – Guitar
Review
Psych Doom/Stoner Metallers Vast Pyre return with their second full length album II: Bleak that harnesses the same crushing Doomed Out power from the likes of YOB, MONOLORD and SHRINEBUILDER with a sense of aggressive murkiness emitting from all corners. The record continues the same destructive path as their 2024 debut album which established the band as a force to be reckoned with. There is a haunting DOOM & GLOOM attitude emerging within the opening track of Begotten with Vast Pyre slowly establishing a well placed Progressive attitude with a stripped back energy appearing within the darkest corners of the song.
With a hard-hitting and slow-to-mid pace melody transmitting a distorted AMPLIFIER FEEDBACK flow that soon transforms into an element of COSMIC DOOM and full on sludge metal dominated areas of Space Rock just for good measure. The song becomes faster and with razor sharp precision appearing within the Psychedelic landscapes that become more Post-Metal obsessive along the way with a haunting YOB-esque music delivery appearing towards the very end of the track.
Second track Tenebrosity's Path continues with the Sonic and Cosmic Doom trajectory with flashes of psychedelic imagery appearing amongst the down-tuned instrumental passages that have a more dangerous aura behind them. The sound is quite abstract with moments of heavy reverb leaning right into the mix that allows Vast Pyre to demonstrate a highly destructive style that is pure classic DOOM METAL theatre in places with a vivid Electric Wizard influence appearing but still very much part of the underground scene. The mood moves from fast-paced to Sludge Rock rhythms to an unsettling modern aesthetic style of LOW & SLOW instrumental passages.
Vast Pyre are a highly talented duo where they feel they have more members in their ranks which they use to their full advantage delivering a HUGE and DEVASTATING sound throughout the whole album and showcase a more cerebral sound within the excellent third track of Beneath The Surface. This is the shortest track on the album and allows Vast Pyre to bring in a Drone Metal attitude into the album which becomes part of the action for the remainder of the album. Matching this against a Post-Drone and Ambient Metal sound allows this to be one the heaviest and interesting tracks on the record.
The final two tracks of The Untold and Perdition Final channels that Drone Metal and Ambient aspect again throughout the almost nineteen minutes runtime with Vast Pyre emerging from the ice cold Post-Doom surroundings of the previous track into a heavier, aggressive and destructive style of modern day Stoner Metal with waves of crushing Psychedelics. The warped vocals have a classical PROTO-DOOM delivery when matched against the long drawn out sonic passages that Vast Pyre harnesses and projects into the SPACE ROCK stratosphere with a real sense of urgency that develops with The Untold.
The album leans heavily into the COSMIC HORROR arena for the second half which gives I!: Bleak a more challenging and highly destructive attitude you first initially anticipated. Vast Pyre have delivered an absolutely devastating Doom/Stoner Metal record that doesn’t shy away in delivering all the thrills, chills and spills you ever want from a first rate record such as this.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Vast Pyre and Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.
II: Bleak is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records.
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