Mixing scorching black metal with Gothenberg styled melodic death metal, California's The Funeral Pyre show that US extreme metal is very much alive and well. With an attack that boasts snarling vocal growls, raging tremelo picked guitar riffs, and non-stop blast beats, at first listen you might think that these guys just stepped off the plane from Norway, but in fact if you listen carefully there's a touch of melody and attitude that clearly shows their American blood. After the first two stampeding black metal offerings "Thieves" and "Black Earth", the band drops in plenty of atmosphere and melody on the furious "The Gathering Bones", one of the juiciest cuts here, with the guitar team of James & Justin really adding in some fantastic layers of sound from their axes. The band even tackles doomy death metal on the near 9-minute title track, John's gravelly vocals scorching the earth above pounding rhythms and crushing riffs. Other highlights include the bombastic "Arches Of Existence" and the blast beat mania that is "Devourer", a song that shows the skills of drummer Alex quite well.
If you like American black metal, you really can't go wrong with Wounds. Though a few of the tracks do tend to sound too similar and follow familiar paths to each other (an issue more with the black metal genre itself perhaps) The Funeral Pyre have produced a solid work here that should appeal to black metal fans of all ages.
Track Listing
1. Thieves 06:04
2. Black Earth 04:02
3. The Gathering Bones 05:02
4. Wounds 08:41
5. These Ties That Bind 04:12
6. Arches Of Existence 05:44
7. When The Light Ends 04:48
8. Devourer 04:43
9. Ghost Walker 06:59
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