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User
Reviews 9
Approval 91%
Soundoffs 33
Album Ratings 1433
Objectivity 69%
Last Active 12-17-22 5:43 pm
Joined 03-28-20
Review Comments 3,512
| Check Pyrrhon
I promised Mort I'd do this. A collection of the various projects the Pyrrhon members are involved in. | | 1 |  | Pyrrhon
Exhaust
Surprise! The Sovereigns of Skronk are back and they've dropped a dead bird on our laps called Exhaust. What's not surprising is that it's really fucking good! Their most concise and consistent album yet, not a dull moment to be had. Definitely start here if you're new to the band. | | 2 |  | Pyrrhon
What Passes for Survival
This is their "eureka" moment, where they figured out how to meld their influences into something unmistakably them. A lot if this is thanks to drummer Steven Schwegler for providing elastic rhythms for the band to pile on noise while maintaining a fervent kinetic energy that sustains the entire record. This is a band firing on all cylinders until the engine combusts, still one of the most electrifying and intense metal albums I’ve ever heard. | | 3 |  | Pyrrhon
The Mother of Virtues
Where eyes started turning towards their direction, though probably less eyes than on the cover. The Mother of Virtues is a confident declaration of aesthetics, namely a fixation on bugs, rats, sewage, and urban decay. This is also where guitarist Dylan DiLella transforms his fixation on pinch harmonics into a cacophony of dissonant shredding that swarms the band like flies. Even if it’s not as fast as their later records, bassist Erik Malave and drummer Alex Cohen (his final LP with the band) plow through the sludge with grooves aplenty. Ten years later it still sounds disgusting. | | 4 |  | Pyrrhon
Abscess Time
My introduction to Pyrrhon and it irrevocably altered my brain chemistry. After bursting through the wall Looney Tunes style with What Passes for Survival, Abscess Time has abstracted the band into a kaleidoscope of their many disparate parts, running the gamut of tech death, mathcore, grind, noise rock, sludge, and even freeform improv. This results in a record less consistent than the albums surrounding it, but is always engaging and unpredictable to the last second. The sequencing feels like it’s taunting you, deftly aware of the increased negative space and knowing the exact right time to beat the shit out of you. Genuinely one of the most boundary pushing records of the current decade. | | 5 |  | Pyrrhon
An Excellent Servant But a Terrible Master
The first Pyrrhon, as well as the first contributions from artist Caroline Harrison and producer Colin Marston, both of whom have worked on every single Pyrrhon release. The sound here is less putrid trash and more cold steel and concrete, their roots lie somewhere between Gorguts’ muscle and Botch’s cynical wit, resulting in a fascinating embryo punching above its weight. An Excellent Servant… is unique amongst their discography lyrically. On every Pyrrhon record vocalist Doug Moore finds different and more devastating ways to write about the horrors of living under capitalism, this is no exception but instead zeroes in on the prison system and living under constant surveillance. A great debut whose promises will be fulfilled on subsequent releases. I’d also recommend reading Moore’s writeup on the behind-the-scenes process of making the album:
https://mantheramparts.medium.com/an-excellent-outcome-but-a-terrible-process-making-the-first-pyrrhon-album-f36a5ca81591 | | 6 |  | Seputus
Phantom Indigo
The members of Pyrrhon have their hands in many different side projects, I’ll start with Seputus due to it sharing 3/4 of the members. The big distinction is that Schwegler is the main songwriter here, whereas Pyrrhon is way more collaborative. Phantom Indigo in particular glistens in ways Pyrrhon couldn’t, even at its harshest the textures here are almost dreamlike. I still think this is the closest any band has ever gotten to making a “deathgaze” record. Moore once again helmed lyrics, this time writing about depressive thought patterns developing through everyday routine, numbing yourself to your surroundings. It’s something I am conscious of everyday. One of the most underrated metal albums in recent years. | | 7 |  | Scarcity
The Promise of Rain
Probably the Pyrrhon related project that has gotten the most traction. Scarcity is the brainchild of Glenn Branca Ensemble alumni Brandon Randall-Meyers with Moore tackling vocals and lyrics. For their second release, The Promise of Rain, the band even enlisted DiLella to join Meyers on guitar. The results are equal parts cinematic and cathartic, caustic black metal gives way to devastating drone sections. A metal band you let wash over you in a meditative state, shrieking wails sedating fear and desolation. | | 8 |  | Weeping Sores
False Confession
Weeping Sores is a death doom project featuring Schwegler on drums, Tchornobog’s Gina Eygenhuysen on violin, and Moore covering everything else. Much like how Seputus was Schwegler’s baby, Moore is the main driving force here, which allows him to express vulnerability in a way that his other projects temper to varying degrees. Even amongst the rupturing double bass there’s never a moment of catharsis, its emotional qualities feel like they’ve crawled out of lapsed stoicism. The violin goes a long way to giving the music a sense of delicacy without turning into suffocating grandeur. An inspired take on the genre, give it a go. | | 9 |  | Couch Slut
You Could Do It Tonight
Fearless noise rock fiends Couch Slut have enlisted Dylan DiLella as a second guitarist for their third LP You Could Do It Tonight, and in turn amplifies their already cacophonous sound to a suffocating maelstrom. There’s a good amount of replay value in finding his little flourishes surrounding the mix. Doug Moore even makes a beastly cameo on the track “Downhill Racer”. Barring Pyrrhon, Couch Slut have only gotten stronger as musicians, songwriters, and storytellers. If you squint a bit you could say the band has injected a bit more humor into these songs. Give it a listen, and check out the Roadburn set they did at a skate park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ErzkdXXvk | | 10 |  | Glorious Depravity
Ageless Violence
Do you think dissodeath is just pretentious musical masturbation? Where are the riffs? Don’t you just want some good ol’ meat-and-potatoes death metal?
Lucky for you Doug Moore is the vocalist and lyricist to OSDM band Glorious Depravity. Certainly not the most innovative release on the list, but Doug’s presence elevates any project he’s on, and the rest of the band do a great job matching his ferocity. At just over 30 minutes there’s not a second of wasted time. Like your favorite b-movie, it’s nothing but pure dumb fun. | | 11 |  | Dylan DiLella
Human Shield
The final project on this list is Dylan DiLella’s solo record Human Shield. It’s a noise record that’s just him fucking around on his guitar. More than any other release on this list your mileage may vary, but it just shows to me that I can follow these guys anywhere they go musically and still find something to enjoy. | |
FowlKrietzsche
10.25.24 | LFG PYRRHON m/// | Jots
10.25.24 | nice. imo they're responsible for a couple of the best metal albums to come out in the 2010s | Asdfp277
10.25.24 | check python - learn to program! | Mort.
10.25.24 | great list, will have to check all the side projects (only heard Seputus - Phantom Indigo) | Mort.
10.25.24 | also glad to hear you are well yowi : ) | Futures
10.26.24 | no | jrlikestodance
10.26.24 | Ok I will | Wildcardbitchesss
10.26.24 | I was going through alcohol withdrawal when I saw them live. Wouldn’t recommend that at all but tight band | evilford
10.26.24 | Yay David yowi sighting! | Hawks
10.26.24 | Great band yeah. | FowlKrietzsche
10.26.24 | Check Pyrrhon JR |
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