Vast Pyre - II: Bleak (Album Review)

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.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Doom voyagers Vast Pyre reveal full album details for Bleak

Germany’s heaviest travelers into the abyss, VAST PYRE, are set to release their second full-length album, Bleak, on November 28th, 2025 via Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records, available in CD, colored vinyl, cassette tape and digital formats.

Following their acclaimed 2024 self-titled debut, Bleak marks a monumental evolution in the band’s sonic voyage, darker, heavier and more immersive than ever before. Drawing inspiration from the crushing weight of Conan, the hypnotic haze of Electric Wizard, the colossal density of Slomatics, the droning minimalism of Sunn O))), and the twisted spirit of '70s psychedelia, Bleak pushes the boundaries of modern doom into realms both oppressive and transcendent.

The band says:

"Will the shallow rise with blood? What lies beneath? Azure landscapes exhale the agonies of spirit and flesh, as we float towards the vast abyss of undying nothingness. There, where our senses deceive us, a story waits to be told:

Vibrations mimicking earthquakes bury your well-being in a daze of pulsating eardrums.

A lost soul torn out from its cozy inner cosmos, battles with demons from the outside; visits unthinkable places.

An amplified wall of terror meets the surreal weaponry of battering drums.

Psychedelic chants that lure you from one geyser to another.

Accompany a journey of suffering, of unclarity, of despair. We remain in boiling heat and instinct. We remain BLEAK"

The first and only single “Tenebrosity’s Path” is already out, offering a foreboding glimpse into the void that defines the album. The track is a slow-burning ritual drenched in suffocating atmosphere and unrelenting heaviness.

Listen to “Tenebrosity’s Path” below:

Tracklist – Bleak

Begotten – 11:15
Tenebrosity’s Path – 9:26

Beneath the Surface – 3:53
The Untold – 9:09
Perdition Fatal – 9:46

Total runtime: 43:27

A sonic descent into desolation, Bleak embodies Vast Pyre’s uncompromising vision, minimalist yet monumental, meditative yet punishing. This is doom from beyond, where distortion becomes mantra and time dissolves into the void.

Pre-order link coming soon, stay tuned

Links

https://www.facebook.com/vast.pyre
https://vastpyre.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords

Thanks to Grands Sounds Promotion for the details.

Vast Pyre - Vast Pyre (Album Review)

Release Date: August 30th 2024. Record Label: Argonauta Records Formats: CD/DD

Vast Pyre - Self Titled: Tracklisting

1.Focus Deceased 09:23

2.Cataleptic 10:25

3.Revelation 09:59

4.Eternal Funeral 09:17

5.The Argent Tomb 11:25

Members

Ch. Wallstein – Vocals/Drums

A. Först – Guitar

Review

Psychedelic Doom Metallers Vast Pyre self-titled album feels like it was made within the BOWELS OF HELL or the DARKEST REACHES OF SPACE. As this record is considerably bleak with it’s down-tuned sounds and heavy reliance on blackened droned textures. There’s a ton of fuzzed out feedback and distorted guitars with subtle moments of Psych Rock, Post-Doom and Cosmic Stoner passages which feels like that the band were inspired by bands such as CONAN, SLOMATICS, UFOMAMMUT and SUNN 0))).

The album lasts around fifty minutes but feels genuinely longer and that’s down to the long drawn out where the music overlaps with harsher blackened grooves which come out to play within the exquisitely bleak first track Focus Deceased. The violent drums and solitary guitar create a heavy burst of sonic energy where the waves of AMPLIFIER FEEDBACK creative energy generates some ferocious sounding instrumental passages.

Vast Pyre play an unapologetic style of music that only becomes heavier, heavier and HEAVIER with each passing song as the band find their true calling by playing a disjointed and progressive style of Drone, Doom, Sludge and Stoner based music. The ambient themes becomes more apparent and richly observed on tracks such as Cataleptic, Revelation and the standout final track The Argent Tomb.

The band also adds elements of freaky sound effects and glitch based noises that causes an unsettling atmosphere. The lack of bass guitar was a risky and bold creative choice from the band as their music could have easily sounded soulless but it works for the mighty SLOMATICS and I’m happy to report this works brilliantly well here. This allows Vast Pyre to have a more primal and violent sound where the COSMIC parts of the record propel this album into some unexpected areas of HEAVY DOOM especially with the excellent raw sounding lead vocals.

Vast Pyre have aligned themselves with underground powerhouse label Argonauta Records who know a thing or two about defying audience expectations which Vast Pyre do so brilliantly well throughout their debut release. 

The production values are unapologetic and quite violent that matches the whole tone of the album and with Esben Willems (MONOLORD and SLOWER) mastering the album then Vast Pyre have ultimately released a thrilling slice of APOCALYPTIC DOOM/STONER METAL that manages to be quite thought provoking and absolutely deafening at the same time.

Vast Pyre have delivered the goods with this outstanding debut album and this will no doubt impress the masses of the underground Doom/Stoner Metal scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

Vast Pyre elf Titled debut album is available to buy now on CD/DD via Argonauta Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

German Stoner Doomsters VAST PYRE Sign to Octopus Rising; First Single Out Now

Vast Pyre - German Stoner/Doom band signs with Octopus Rising to release their debut full-length album.

The band comments about the signing: "Folks, we're super stoked to unbolt the crate and ignite our very first outcome in cooperation with ARGONAUTA/OCTOPUS RISING. It's great news to have found a partner with whom we feel in good hands. We're looking forward to the future as a band and the partnership as well. BEHOLD THE NIGHTTIME."

Today also marks the release of a new single as a huge appetizer for the coming album. The track's title is "Focus Deceased," now available here: 

In the end of 2021 Försti (guitar) and Wally (drums, vocals) were in the mood and got together to jam some Stoner/Doom tunes from Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath, Sleep etc. and hanging out from time to time. Genre-specific, they knew what they wanted. After some sessions and finding the right sound, they concentrated on writing their own songs - a few ideas got discarded. Bit by bit, they extended their backline/equipment in the rehearsal room, because they needed to add more low-end to the guitar. In the end, there was a huge backline that drove their sound and they decided to not put in any bass-guitar as an instrument separately: they just wanted to make "guitar-only" music. 

Later, their friend Jonny (lead guitar) joined the band at the end of 2022. Henceforth, the songs were rearranged and fine tuned. In August 2023 Vast Pyre opened for the Festival "Burgbrand Open Air" and shared the stage with bands like EREMIT and INDIAN NIGHTMARE, to name just a few. That should be the only concert they played that year, because first they wanted to record/mix their stuff, what they eventually did from November 2023 to February this year.

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/vast.pyre/
https://www.instagram.com/vast.pyre/
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for all of the details.