Album Review: Black Pyre - Blessed Brân, Son Of The Sea
Album Review
Artist: Black Pyre
Blessed Brân, Son Of The Sea
Release Date November, 22, 2024
Self Release
Review by Jools Green
Ofnus vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Asbjorn Daemonium
de Noctis (William Philpot), also the brain behind the Black Metal solo project
Asbjorn Daemonium de Noctis and the Death Metal solo project Necrotic Foetal
Feculence, is back with his third full length Blessed Brân, Son Of The Sea, from
his other, more prolific solo project Black Pyre, delivering yet another heady
and atmospheric offering of Welsh Melodic Black Metal.
Lyrically the release is rooted in Celtic and British mythology, taking reference from The
Mabinogion and The Black Book of Carmarthen and follows
the mystical bard Taliesin and his journey through the ages; first at the side
of Brân, and then at the death of Arthur.
Opening on Until I Perish which
introduces the mystical bard Taliesin, a piece which grabs your attention
immediately as reflective but sharp riffs open, it’s a rapid builder, quickly hitting
you with a wall of intense riffing and expansive vocal roar, as a balance the
track also harbours a subtle melodic repeating undercurrent, I love the
layering of the vocals on the first half of this track where the acidic lead
vocals and are complemented and bolstered by deeper harsher backing vocals,
midway the pace ebbs back to beautifully haunting leadwork before returning to
the drive of icy black riffs and acidic vocals from earlier.
Making sure your attention is held, title track Blessed Brân, Son of the Sea, which tells of Brân’s journey to Éire and his demise, unleashes
wave after wave of fast paced drum battery and driving repeat riffs with the
acidic vocals cutting boldly through, when the pace drops just after midway it
turns dramatic and haunting making way for a spoken element followed by a
swathe of haunting leadwork gradually gathering pace back up to the former
intensity and the drum work at this end of the track delivers super patterns and
is hugely impactful.
There are two instrumentals on this album, the first is Guinevere's
Solace, a short hauntingly reflective piano piece, after which the album moves
on to the period where Taliesin
is now with Arthur, with the
next piece Castle Dunnottar, it’s dark and atmospherically haunting to open,
the raw powerfully protracted vocals driving through the climbing repeat riffs,
all complemented by soaring haunting leadwork, the pace and speed of lyrical
delivery elevating in the second half as the plot intensifies.
A more reflective piece, Arglwyddes Y Llyn covers the death
of Arthur and dark haunting keyboards build on the atmosphere of the track,
another piece where my interest is once again drawn to the rather good drum
work.
Taking things a little more reflective and eerie is The Nine
Sorceresses of Annwn, I love the dark mystical quality to this track, the dense
layering of sound and the tantalising ebb and build throughout, you also get
more of that soaring haunting leadwork.
Penultimate piece, Voyage to Avalon, tells of Arthur’s final
journey to the mythical islands, firstly to Avalon then onto Hy Bresail, it’s a
beautifully melodic and reflective, slightly haunting piece musically that is
balanced perfectly with the two layers of harsh vocals which build on the
atmosphere further and add a bleak quality, the equally reflective leadwork
adds a sublime aspect, the phrasing of the music really builds on the mood too.
The final piece, Hy Bresail, is the second instrumental,
again a reflective piece with a hypnotic repeat that course through its
duration, bringing the album to a gentle close.
Blessed Brân, Son Of The Sea is a beautifully constructed and delivered, hugely engaging listen and available now in various limited edition formats, subject to availability, via Bandcamp
Blessed Brân, Son Of The Sea | Black Pyre
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